Stacey Quandt Linux Quotations

Security is especially relevant for government vendors. Governments are saying they'd rather use open-source technology because there aren't any unseen open doors into the system. But it's not only that. Linux offers better performance, more stability, and a lower cost. It's a threat to Microsoft, and there's no turning back.

While there are other initiatives that target increasing the adoption of the Linux desktop, the LSB subcommittee can bring to the table an industry effort with real meat that can further the technical capabilities of the Linux desktop. The more vendors that participate in this initiative the more successful this initiative will be.

Of larger significance is that this initiative fuels the potential adoption of a certified Red Hat Linux stack within U.S. government departments and agencies. For instance, Red Hat offers certificate management, clustering and other applications on top of Linux.

As open-source companies continue to create pricing pressure on proprietary software solutions, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft responds subsequent to the release of Longhorn. By 2010 Microsoft will support its applications on Linux and develop an open-source strategy,

This level of industry collaboration and cooperation demonstrates the growing interest in using Linux among federal agencies. The certification will also provide Red Hat with first-mover status in comparison to completely Linux distributions.

The U.S. government's support for Linux is indicative of the shift away from government-developed code and the lower costs associated with commercial off-the-shelf solutions. The U.S. government benefits from the community efforts to enhance the security of Linux with up-to-date technical innovation.