Caldera OpenLinux 3.1 to Ship June 30, 2001

Mike Angelo -- 25 June 2001 (c)

(Webmaster's Note: Please see MozillaQuest Magazine's Caldera OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 Review.)

Caldera International has two new Linux products plus a new Linux-savvy UNIX product, OpenLinux Workstation 3.1, OpenLinux Secure Internet Server, and Open UNIX 8. Along with Mandrake, Red Hat, and SuSE, Caldera is one of the four leading Linux OS distributions

OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 is a Linux desktop operating system (OS) based on the Linux 2.4.2 kernel. It is expected to start shipping on June 30, 2001.

Caldera OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 includes both the GNOME and KDE (K Desktop Environment) windows-like desktops plus Sun Microsystems StarOffice 5.2. StarOffice is a download-for-free, cross-platform (XP), office applications suite.

Emphasis on desktop here, folks. Caldera's very first product was the Linux-based Caldera Network Desktop. The latest Caldera OpenLinux products focus on a strong and easy-to-use Linux desktop. Looks as though the Linux desktop is live and well.

We have not checked the OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 release version yet. However, 3.1 installed easily. The OpenLinux 3.1 installation was even easier and smoother than the previous, OpenLinux 2.4 installation.

OpenLinux Secure Internet Server is a Linux kernel 2.4 product, server platform.Open UNIX 8 brings a Linux "personality" to the UnixWare 7 kernel. The idea here is to better enable Linux programs to run on UNIX.

OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 brings a change in Caldera product and Linux distribution licensing practices. OpenLinux Workstation, as a product, is licensed per system and cannot be deployed without limit. Caldera will provide a certificate of license authenticity (COLA) with each unit sold, and Caldera expects each customer to have a COLA for each system that deploys OpenLinux Workstation.

The Linux Kernel and many applications included in OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 are open source software (OSS) and must be distributed at no charge according to the GPL and other open source licenses. However, such licenses usually allow distributors to charge for their costs in distributing the software and to charge for value added to the distribution packages by the package distributors.

Caldera states that it has added its own proprietary software and other Copyrighted material to the OpenLinux Workstation 3.1, Linux-distribution package. Our general understanding of the various open source public licenses is that by adding its own proprietary software and other Copyrighted material to the OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 package, Caldera may impose such per-system licensing practices. Of course that is our understanding, and it is not a legal opinion.