TURBOLINUX 7 TO POWER IBM NETVISTA THIN CLIENTS.

Turbolinux Inc., has announced that IBM's new NetVista N2200 Thin Client Linux Express and IBM's newest, most powerful thin client, the N70 will be deployed with the Turbolinux 7 operating system.

The thin client model enables businesses to shift applications, file storage, and processing tasks away from the desktop and consolidate them on Internet-based or internal servers. This can simplify application deployment and management, reducing the amount and complexity of hardware and software needed at the desktop. Linux is a natural fit with thin client solutions because of its reliability, flexibility, and number and types of applications it supports. In addition, the Linux operating system places very little load on servers or client hardware.

"It was a little over 18 months ago that IBM and Turbolinux began creating solutions for IBM thin client customers," said Ly-Huong Pham, CEO of Turbolinux. "IBM's continued commitment to Turbolinux distributions is a tremendous vote of confidence in the strength of our product as well as our vision for the future of Linux. Turbolinux running on IBM thin clients offers significant value to businesses that are searching for ways to reduce IT deployment and maintenance costs."

IBM NetVista Thin Clients with Turbolinux 7 are based on the latest Linux kernel, version 2.4, and offer a high degree of customization. Users can install and tailor their own configurations on Linux as well as customize applications for a specific thin client solution using local flash memory.

Businesses that want to deploy thin clients quickly and only need access to Windows, browser-, or server-based applications, can deploy the NetVista Linux Express pre-configured with software based on Turbolinux 7. IBM installation and manageability tools will be included with both offerings.

Retail businesses -- with stores and suppliers often spread across the globe -- have been quick to shift toward thin clients. With centralized server-based management, stores can have access to the most current product information, regardless of store location. Rather than using networked PCs to provide connectivity, thin client systems allow for fast application deployment, centralized management, and a lower total cost of ownership. According to an April, 2001 Gartner report titled, "Is Thin In?," 90 percent of enterprises that have deployed or plan to deploy thin client applications have done so in vertical applications such as customer service, call centers, airline reservations, package tracking, healthcare centers, insurance claims processing, bank loan processing, and retail operations.