MORRISVILLE – Lenovo, the worl’s top PC seller, is giving Linux a big boost by certifying all its workstation computers for Red Hat and Ubuntu, two of the most popular open source software solutions.
“We’re not talking about just hardware certification, either. Lenovo will offer both RHEL and Ubuntu LTS distributions pre-installed,” Forbes notes.
“Once thought of as a niche IT crowd, this user base of data scientists, developers, application engineers, scientists and more is growing – stepping into sought-after roles across multiple industries and becoming essential within their companies,” wrote Rob Herman, General Manager, Executive Director Workstation & Client AI Group at Lenovo.
Tux, as originally drawn as raster image by Larry Ewing in 1996. (Source: Wikipedia)
“Now, I’m excited to share Lenovo is moving to certify the full workstation portfolio for top Linux distributions from Ubuntu and Red Hat – every model, every configuration.”
In an interview with Forbes, Herman noted just how big Lenovo’s embrace of Linux is.
“Going beyond the box, this also includes full web support, dedicated Linux forums, configuration guidance and more,” Herman said.
So what does this all mean other than provide additional credibility for Linux as an alternative to proprietary Microsoft and Apple solutions”
“While many users prefer to customize their own machines – either on hardware without an OS [operating system] or by wiping an existing client OS, then configuring and installing Linux – this can raise uncertainty with system stability, restricted performance, compatibility, end-user productivity and even IT support for devices,”Herman wrote,
“Now that these users are making their way out of the proverbial shadows and onto the enterprise floor, the demand is high for an out-of-the-box solution that removes the barrier for deployment of enterprise-grade hardware within a Linux software ecosystem.”
Why make this move?
Linux operating systems make up installs on some 250 million PCs sold a year – less than 3 percent of sales but representing more than 7 million users, Herman said, citing data from NetMarketShare.
“Once thought of as a niche IT crowd, this user base of data scientists, developers, application engineers, scientists and more is growing – stepping into sought-after roles across multiple industries and becoming essential within their companies,” he added.
Herman explained that Lenovo’s machines “will work intuitively with the host Linux OS and offer full end-to-end support – from security patches and updates to better secure and verify hardware drivers, firmware and bios optimizations. What’s more, Lenovo will also upstream device drivers directly to the Linux kernel, to help maintain stability and compatibility throughout the life of the workstation.”
Lenovo operates one of its two global headquarters in Morrisville. The other is in Beijing,
