Caldera touts Linux apps running on Unix

Software developer Caldera claims it can provide Linux applications with greater scalability and reliability by running them on Unix via a Linux kernel personality.

This provides an interface to run Linux applications on the UnixWare operating system, an Intel-specific Unix which Caldera recently purchased from SCO.

"Our main focus is exploiting the interest in Linux and the growing number of application developers building for it," said Caldera chief technology officer Drew Spencer.

"SCO had very strong business in bricks and mortar companies, and this is where Linux has not significantly penetrated. At least running Linux applications will give companies a taste of Linux," he added.

Caldera is also keen to strengthen application development for Linux because, once developed, an application can be deployed on either Linux or UnixWare.

The kernel personality echoes the plans of Hewlett Packard and IBM. The former demonstrated similar software for its HP-UX Unix at the LinuxWorld Expo in New York in January.

Big Blue has similar plans for AIX-5L, although they involve recompiling an application to allow it to run on both Power PC and Intel architectures.

The idea has been greeted with enthusiasm by analysts, although questions remain as to the competitiveness of such software.

"This sounds great on paper because the Unix kernel is more powerful than Linux, but I don't know how they will do this without turning Unix into Linux," said D H Brown analyst Tony Iams. "The question is whether Linux will close the gap with UnixWare."

First published in Computing