(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Linux Surfaces As Alternative to Windows NT
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September 21, 1998 (TOKYO) -- In Japan as well as in the United States,
Linux, free UNIX software, is surfacing rapidly as a new alternative
for a server operating system to replace Windows NT.
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Cases where Japanese companies are applying
Linux to their enterprise systems have been increasing gradually. Since
the beginning of July 1998, a move to accelerate Linux use has been
seen (See table).
Not only does Linux provide high reliability and high performance as
an operating system; it also enables users to reference and modify the
source code freely as they like. This makes Linux welcomed by users.
Uneasiness felt by users about a lack of support is incident to free
software, but it is being solved by an increase of system integrators
offering Linux support services. In addition to medium- and small-scale
integrators, large-scale integrators and software vendors have begun
to take actions in the Linux business.
Linux Debuted As First NT Pursuer
In the United States on July 21 and 22, 1998, well-known vendors announced
the release of a Linux version of their products, including Oracle Corp.,
Netscape Communications Corp. and Informix Software Inc. In Japan, Linux-enabled
relational database (RDB) software, word processing software and office
suites to run in Japanese have debuted in rapid succession.
For example, Ado Electronic Industrial Co., Ltd., a leading vendor managing
a big PC shop named T.ZONE, has also penetrated the Linux business.
So far, Linux has been handled only by medium- and small-scale system
integrators. But, here, large-scale vendors have forecast a good business
opportunity in it, and have finally made their debut in the Linux market.
There are an estimated 4-7 million Linux users all over the world, out
of which users in Japan seem to number about 300,000 to 500,000. In
the latter half of 1996, the first Linux distribution software package
was launched, enabling users to make their system installation very
easy. Since then, Linux has become even more familiar to users.
FreeBSD is available as free UNIX to run on PCs, and today in Japan,
many are FreeBSD users. FreeBSD runs not only on IBM PC-AT compatibles,
but on the NEC PC-9800 Series, which boasts the top market share in
Japan. At the same time, the UNIX brand of BSD has won a good reputation
in the market. But, from now on, reflecting the U.S. and European countries'
interest in Linux, users of Linux are anticipated to increase in Japan
as well.
One of the main factors for the increase of Linux users in the domestic
market is a boom of Internet use in the background. Since Nippon Telegraph
and Telephone Corp. (NTT) inaugurated open computer network (OCN), an
Internet access service, in December 1996, even medium- and small-scale
companies have come to easily install the Internet. And, universities
and senior high schools have been promoting Internet installation.
Linux is used not only on the Internet, but on servers such as file sharing,
groupware and database. And, these user companies give high customer
satisfaction ratings to Linux.
In Japan, users virtually don't have a choice other than the Windows
NT server for a PC server operating system. Consequently, Linux has
high marketability as another major choice.
Improved Support Availability
Today, Linux user companies are divided into two groups by management
style. One is a group that manages the Linux systems completely by themselves
without vendors' assistance. This kind of management is often seen in
companies with an efficient and large enough business scale to have
their own information system divisions. In this case, the user companies
themselves are responsible for management, but at the same time, they
have as a weak point management that tends to depend on individual special
engineers.
The other group requests system integrators to completely manage the
Linux systems. This pattern is often seen in medium- and small-scale
companies. In this case, the integrators bear the responsibility, but
one problem is that integrators which can handle Linux are small in
number.
Today, support vendors have increased considerably. Linux Business Initiative
(LBI) is a group of system integrators to provide Linux support services
for a fee. The member companies numbered five at the foundation time
in February, and increased to 16 as of August 1998.
In July, Fujitsu Business Systems Ltd. and Otsuka Shokai Co., Ltd., leading
systems integrators, started Linux-based systems integration businesses.
Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. has been running ahead in this
field since 1997. This means that the big-three systems integrators
with a countrywide support network handle the Linux systems.
So far, Linux distribution sales companies have not been engaged in user
support, but are now planning to offer the support service sooner or
later. Pacific HiTech Inc., Itsutsubashi Research Co., Ltd. and others
are preparing for the Linux support business.
In addition, PC makers have begun Linux user support services. On July
11, 1998, Ado Electronic Industry launched a tower-type PC with pre-installed
Linux as a product of its PC shop T.ZONE's own brand. Further, the company
plans to release an Internet server in the middle of September this
year. It says it will provide an around-the-clock support desk service
in the same way as the PC support service.
However, leading PC makers that also are leading system integrators do
not intend to handle Linux at this stage. They will provide commercial
PC UNIX as a choice to replace Windows NT, because they do not wish
to be responsible for an operating system not developed by themselves.
While commercial UNIX also is not an operating system developed by themselves,
but they can place the responsibility on the operating system vendors
if trouble occurs on the commercial UNIX systems.
Vendors Pay Attention to Business Systems as RDB Debut
When a business system runs on a PC server, RDB applications play a key
role in the operation. Since June this year, business Linux-based RDB
products to run in Japanese have appeared in the market continuously.
They are InterBase, EMPRESS and Informix.
On June 10, 1998, RIOS Corp. began to offer a Linux version of InterBase
4.0 for free through its home page. The company said that it recorded
1,086 downloads for two months, out of which about 90 percent were company
users.
Late in August this year, Empress Japan started to ship a Linux version
of EMPRESS 6.10 as the latest version.
John Kornatowski, president of Empress Software Inc. of Canada, said,
"Sales of Linux products still remain small scale, but have been growing
three times faster than the previous year. When I tried to sell Linux
in Japan two years ago, Linux users were still small in number. So,
I once gave up Linux sales, but I have decided to do business again,
because the users have begun to increase this year."
Further, Informix KK of Japan began to ship the latest Linux version
of Informix-SE on Sept. 16, 1998.
But Oracle, with the largest share in the RDB market, and Sybase Inc.,
have not yet released a Japanese version.
Upon receiving requests from user companies, Sybase asked its U.S. headquarters
to launch Linux-based products. At this point, only Oracle Corp. Japan,
the largest RDB vendor, has yet to decide whether to ship Linux-based
products in Japan.
PostgreSQL is enjoying the largest number of users in the free RDB software
field, and a Japanese version was released in March 1998.
Table: Main actions taken by the domestic computer industry for Linux
in 1998
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February
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21
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Five domestic system integrators established "Linux
Business Initiative (LBI)" as a group to aim at promoting
Linux use for business purposes.
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April
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Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. released a PC
server with pre-installed Linux.
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April
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VACS Corp. began a service to gratis download a prototype
version of a front-end processor to run in Japanese.
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June
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10
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RIOS Corp. began a service to gratis download a Linux
version of InterBase, an RDB product to run in Japanese
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July
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1
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Nissho Electronics Corp. released a server with
preinstalled Linux.
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July
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10
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Pacific HiTech Inc. released Linux-enabled office
suite products to run in Japanese.
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July
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11
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Ado Electronic (T.ZONE) released a PC with preinstalled
Linux.
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July
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30
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Fujitsu Business Systems Ltd. began a refresh service by
installing Linux on an old-type PC.
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August
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12
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Informix KK announced a domestic shipping plan for a
Linux version of Informix-SE.
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August
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24
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Otsuka Shokai Co., Ltd. released a PC server with
pre-installed Linux.
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August
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26
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Omron Software Co., Ltd. released Linux-enabled word
processing software to run in Japanese.
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August
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28
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VACS released a Linux-enabled front end processor in
Japanese
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Late August
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Empress Japan released a Linux version of EMPRESS, an
RDB-based product to run in Japanese.
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(return to news)
Related stories:
Relational Database Software for Linux to Debut
in Japan
Japan System Integrators to Set Up Linux Group
Otsuka Shokai Provides NEC, IBM Japan Servers With
Linux
Commercial RDBMS For PC/Linux Unveiled in Japan
(Masahiro Nakamura, Staff Editor, Nikkei Computer)
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