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IBM announced the launch of a SUSE Linux development and
certification program for ISVs
Centers, officials said Wednesday.
The addition of the popular Novell Linux distribution
comes three months after the Armonk, N.Y., IT giant launched a similar
program for developers on the Red Hat platform.
The certification initiative was created to get developers to create
applications on IBM’s middleware, software and server platforms. It
features the testing capabilities of its Innovation Centers, online
resources to create applications compatible with IBM and the applicable
Linux distribution, and expand IBM’s reach in the ISV community through its
IBM’s goal is to double the amount of Linux-based applications developed on
the IBM platform. According to officials, 6,000 applications have already
been created, 2,000 of which came from ISVs.
As part of
the joint program, Novell will give ISVs copies of its SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server software and documentation to go along with the IBM offerings.
Novell officials will also provide resources to get ISVs visiting the site
to sign up for the Novell Technology Partner Program so they can certify
their programs on SUSE.
IBM has an online three-step process to get ISVs signed up and on the path
to migrate their applications: an IBM-hosted Web page to sign up for
Novell’s partner program, a sign-up page for IBM’s PartnerWorld program, and
then re-direction to IBM’s Innovation Center Web site.
Todd Chase, IBM Innovation Center program director, said IBM’s intent is to
get Red Hat support in more centers in the future around the world. The Red
Hat program is available in four centers, one each in the United Kingdom,
France, Russia and Germany; SUSE will find its way into three centers in the
United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
“I think that by the time this is all done, we’ll have worldwide programs
from both vendors,” he said. “You can’t offer all things to all people at
all centers; it’s just too much to ask.”
While the company has no plans to include other specific Linux distributions
into the certification program for ISVs, Chase said the others are supported
through IBM’s efforts with the Chiphopper program, or IBM eServer
Application Server Advantage for Linux. Chiphopper provides resources and
tools geared for Linux Standard Base (LSB) conformity.
