Linux vendor Red Hat has released the latest version of its Linux operating system for two 64-bit platforms: Compaq Computer's Alpha and Intel's Itanium. The move brings version 7.2 of the most popular Linux distribution to a wider range of hardware.
It's also a boost for the Itanium--Intel's first entry into high-end server chips--which has maintained a low profile since its launch about a year ago. Itanium does not yet have the same range of available applications as other high-end platforms, such as Sun Microsystems' Solaris or Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX.
Linux--with a strong developer community and a flexibility that allows the Unix clone to run on numerous chips--has become an asset the chipmakers want on their sides as they prepare future chip designs. Linux has become a tool to secure quick support for a new chip.
Alpha, once considered to be at the leading edge of high-end chip technology, was developed by Digital Equipment, which was later bought by Compaq.
News source: Cnet
