Fans of the Linux operating system can now add Computer Associates Inc to the list of serious commercial players supporting the Unix-alike system with applications. According to the North American Ingres Users Association, CA has committed itself to to making a Linux port of the Ingres II relational database available for free download from https://www.cai.com by the third quarter 1998. Nor is that time scale unreasonable. A prototype Ingres II for Linux was demonstrated running on the Red Hat implementation of Linux at CA-World 98. Oracle Corp, Informix Systems Inc and Sybase Inc are currently being cagey about their plans for Linux support, but rumor has it that IBM Corp is interested in offering a Linux port of DB2. Open source operating system Linux goes from strength to strength. An article in this week’s Economist takes an even- handed look at the technology, noting its weaknesses in graphical user interface and applications but giving due weight to existing and promised support from key vendors Sun Microsystems, IBM, Netscape Communications Corp and Corel Corp.