IBM does a deal -- for Linux only

by Mark Gibbs

December 27, 2000 —

What a deal. IBM recently released a product bundle called IBM Small Business Suite for Linux Version 1.6. It includes:

Lotus Domino Application Server for Linux V5.0.4.
Lotus Notes for Windows V5.0.4.
IBM DB2 Universal Database Workgroup Edition for Linux V7.1.
IBM WebSphere Application Server for Linux V3.0.2.
IBM HTTP Server for Linux V1.3.12 (a.k.a. Apache).
Lotus SmartSuite for Windows.
IBM WebSphere Studio Entry Edition V3.0.2.
Lotus Domino Designer for Windows V5.0.4.
IBM WebSphere Homepage Builder for Linux V4.0.

This is a lot of serious software -- but for $475, it is remarkable. And given that it is from IBM, we have to give up "remarkable" and upgrade to "astounding." If it were not for Linux, this bundle would cost around $3,500.

This looks a lot like a strategic move by IBM to build its Linux business base and make Linux adoption easier for IT shops. Perhaps the suite should also be subtitled "Revenge for OS/2" but that's really a Backspin column.

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