Objections to open source software on the grounds that it lacks commercial support are wearing thinner and thinner. Hewlet- Packard Co is the latest titan to announce support services for the open source operating system Linux. HP will provide around- the-clock, worldwide support for Linux systems and applications. The company promises a maximum two-hour response time and immediate response for critical calls on multivendor Intel-based platforms.
The services are to be delivered through HP’s Electronic Support Center and Response Centers. Customers will get unlimited, toll- free, phone-in software assistance; a choice of response time frames; remote support by HP engineers; access to a database of product and support information from various vendors; and Linux training for system administrators. Linux distributions from Red Hat Software Inc, Caldera Systems Inc, Pacific Hitech Inc and SuSE Holding AG are supported now. In future, the company intends to add support for IA-64 architecture and Apache web server.
