CORBA on LINUX Gains Momentum.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1998--Programmers and end-users can now obtain implementations of the Object Management Group's (OMG's) Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) for Linux. As the momentum has grown behind the open source Linux operating system, more and more OMG members have requested this support. The emergence of CORBA-conformant ORBs for Linux is an indicator of the commercial confidence and industry support for both CORBA and Linux.

Early Linux programmers dabbled in Linux as a popular alternative to WindowsNT. Over time, the cooperatively-developed, full-fledged, open source Linux operating system has matured, and major industry players such as Netscape, Oracle, Sybase, IBM and Intel have taken notice. According to Datapro Information Service (a division of Gartner Group), Linux is the only alternative operating system growing in market share. Although difficult to quantify, some analysts estimate that Linux has attracted over a million users, perhaps more if you consider the "underground" base of developers who are not ready to announce official commercial support.

As greater proof that Linux has entered the mainstream, Oracle (www.oracle.com) recently released its flagship database, Oracle8, as well as its Application Server, on the Linux platform. IBM has also announced plans to migrate DB2 to Linux in the near future. Sybase claims over 1000 downloads of its Adaptive Server Enterprise Linux suite since the end of September. Linux's fast-paced popularity has resulted in a surge of support and a large selection of software including proxy servers, clustering kits, screen savers and now OMG's Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). Paragon Software's OAK (www.paragon-software.com), MICO (diamant.vsb.cs.uni-frankfurt.de/~mico/) and Washington University's TAO (www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/ TAO.html) are some of the CORBA Object Request Brokers available for a Linux environment.

At Washington University, the development of the TAO ORB is being sponsored by companies and organizations including Boeing, Lucent and Motorola which recognize the value of open source models and can recognize the future commercial value of such ORBs. Malcolm Spence, Marketing Director with Object Computing, Inc. (www.ociweb.com), the company responsible for providing marketing and technical support for TAO, said, "Customers want a solid, reliable platform for durable mission critical applications. Once the applications are there, the next logical step is establishing an object middleware so that the user community doesn't need to know how, or where, this service is being rendered. When that happens, CORBA on Linux is the answer. An open source ORB based on CORBA standards is an even better answer."

"It's all about options. Users don't want to be bound to only one platform or operating system," commented Bill Hoffman, President of the Object Management Group. "Linux offers another level of independence and CORBA vendors have responded. As Linux comes out of the back room and into the mainstream, I suspect other middleware vendors will follow this trend."

About Linux and Linux International

The Linux commercial server operating system is promoted by Linux International, an association of vendors that add services, training, support and software value to Linux. Linux version 1.0 was released in early 1994. Production versions (Linux 1.2 and 2.0) are available from several vendors including Red Hat Software and Caldera, Inc. For more information about Linux or for membership in Linux International, see http://www.li.org. For information on CORBA ORBs for Linux, see http://linas.org/linux/corba.html.

About OMG

With the support of its membership of software vendors, software developers and end users, OMG's CORBA is "The Middleware That's Everywhere(tm)." Since 1989, OMG has been "Setting The Standards For Distributed Computing(tm)" through its mission to promote the theory and practice of object technology for the development of distributed computing systems. The goal is to provide a common architectural framework for object oriented applications based on widely available interface specifications. OMG is headquartered in Framingham, MA, USA and has international marketing offices in Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and the UK. Additionally, OMG is a sponsor of the COMDEX Enterprise series of Trade Shows and Conferences.

For information on joining OMG or additional information, please contact OMG headquarters by phone at [phone], by fax at [phone], by email at [e-mail]. OMG provides current information and services for Distributed Object Computing through The Information Brokerage(tm) on the World Wide Web at: www.omg.org.

Note to editors: CORBA(R), OMG(R), Object Management(R) and the OMG logo are registered trademarks of the Object Management Group. The Information Brokerage(R), CORBA - The Middleware That's Everywhere(tm), OMG: Setting The Standards For Distributed Computing(tm), IIOP(tm), OMG Interface Definition Language(tm), CORBAservices(tm), CORBAfacilities(tm), CORBAmed(tm), and CORBAnet(tm) are trademarks of the Object Management Group. All other products or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.