At the same time, Red Hat has shown some fondness for another virtualization technology, KVM, which is popular among core Linux programmers. The company argues that a software layer called libvirt shields users from differences in underlying virtualization software, so they don't have to worry about what's underneath the covers.
Among other new features in RHEL 5:
• Support for quad-core processors such as Intel's Xeon 5300 "Clovertown."
• For desktop users, fancy 3D graphics based on AIGLX and Compiz software. Desktop users also should see better abilities for a computer to suspend and resume; for example, when a laptop lid is closed and later opened.
• The ability to manage file systems storing up to 16 terabytes of data, up from 8TB with RHEL 4
• A foundation for Stateless Linux, a technology Red Hat hopes to add later that lets a desktop computer retrieve an individual's personal settings and applications from a central server.
Share and share alike
Linux is open-source software, meaning that anyone can see the underlying source code, modify it, and redistribute it. Although that practice lets Red Hat benefit from the work of programmers at Novell, IBM and countless others, it also makes it vastly easier for other competitors to reproduce Red Hat features or clone the product outright. Indeed, the CentOS project and Oracle aim to make Linux versions as identical as possible to RHEL, based on the source code Red Hat itself supplies.
Customers, too, can build their own versions, and that's what ServerCave does for much of its own software.
"The bits are out there. You recompile it, you support it. It's an extra level of work," said Chris Rogers, president of the company, which hosts others' Web sites and provides data center consulting services. "It's not that bad until you get into a specialized case."
That circumstance points to one of the biggest growth possibilities for Red Hat, IDC's Gillen said. It's not growth at the expense of Windows or Unix, but from converting free users to paid subscribers.
Rogers isn't averse to sending Red Hat money when it's warranted, though.
"One of our customers is a heavy Oracle shop. We told them, 'You will buy a license and do whatever you need to do to make Oracle and Red Hat happy together.' It's just a lot easier to not do it yourself," he said.
And when he does have technical support questions, he's been happy with Red Hat's service. "I have always gotten to the level of tech that really reassures me about what's going on. You get through tier 1 and tier 2, then you get the real person who's going to solve the problem. I've never been disappointed by that last person," Rogers said.
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