The client is moving more and more towards being heterogeneous, said IBM’s worldwide Linux marketing strategy manager, Adam Jollans, acknowledging the rising interest in Linux clients from businesses. But it’s not just desktops, it’s also PDAs, embedded devices, smartphones. The solution needs to be able to cater for that mixture of clients.
Last week IBM announced a $100m investment in its Workplace collaboration software on the Linux operating system, including the Workplace Client Technology, a client-side framework for the development of rich server-based client applications.
Jollans said three drivers had encouraged IBM to make the investment: increased interest from customers in Linux on the client, the interest in on-demand business transformation on the client, and the need to update both Windows- and Linux-based thin clients.
In all these cases it’s a server-managed client approach that’s required, Jollans said. We see this now as increasing the richness of what’s on the client, but with a server-based approach.
Jollans said the application demands for Linux on the desktop tend to be fixed function, basic office environments that can be served by the server-based approach, or alternatively rich client-side browser-based applications.
You need to cater for disconnected clients, but not unconnected clients, he added of the requirements to deliver server-managed information to mobile client devices. For richer application environments, Workplace also connects to the OpenOffice.org open source productivity suite.
Next month IBM is expected to roll out Workplace Collaboration Services for Linux, an integrated collaboration environment including the latest version of the company’s Workplace Client Technology.
