Big Blue edges further away from Microsoft – but how far will it go?

The wires were buzzing last month with startling news from LinuxForum in Copenhagen. IBM`s head of open source and Linux technical sales across northeast Europe, Andreas Pleschek, gave a presentation entitled “IBM vs Open Source, Friend or Foe”. This in itself was not really news, although delegates were a little surprised when he informed them his presentation had been given using a pre-release of IBM`s new platform, Open Client. Based on Red Hat Linux and built in Java on top of Eclipse, Open Client is IBM`s new dual platform Workplace client.

Then Pleschek almost caused a riot when he apparently said IBM had cancelled its contract with Microsoft as of October 2006. The inference was that IBM would not be using Windows Vista for its desktops. He reportedly added that in July, IBM employees would begin migrating to the Open Client desktop and none would upgrade to Vista.