Tokyo, Japan-based Linux distributor Pacific HiTech (PHT) has launched a US marketing and sales operation in Oakland, California and a manufacturing and support operation in Salt Lake City, Utah. PHT has also joined forces with Oracle Corp to develop and market enterprise applications on the open source operating system. The companies say they will link to each other’s web sites and organize joint promotional activities, as well as providing joint support for Linux technology development efforts. Oracle also gets access to PHT’s customer base. This is nothing to sneeze at, since PHT boasts more than 50% of the Linux market in Japan. Its customers include Japanese Broadcasting Corp, HSBC Securities Japan Ltd and office supplies firm Otsuka Shokai group. PHT’s TurboLinux is also used in large-scale research projects, notably in Tokyo’s Rockefeller University. รก
