Computer Associates International Inc has promised to develop versions of its desktop management platform, Unicenter TNG, to support Caldera Systems Inc’s OpenLinux operating system. Given that Unicenter TNG is one of the archetypal applications aimed at large enterprises, the announcement could be taken to mean that Linux has arrived as an enterprise platform. What’s more, potential customers will hardly be able to argue with the price. CA says it intends to produce and distribute Unicenter TNG Framework for Caldera OpenLinux at no charge.

In return, Caldera has promised to distribute Unicenter TNG Framework and the associated management APIs bundled with OpenLinux. The point of the deal is to get Unicenter onto as many boxes as possible. To that end, Caldera’s comparative success in selling Linux into the enterprise has made it the logical choice for CA. Caldera has done a particularly good job of marketing Linux as a high-value platform for commercial applications, explained CA’s Yogesh Gupta. The partners say they will demonstrate Unicenter TNG running on OpenLinux at CA World in New Orleans, July 18-23 1999.