Red Hat Expands Linux Kernel Development Group; Adds Additional Technical Expertise Dedicated to Open Source Community Development of the Fastest-growing Server Operating System

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Feb 7, 2000

Red Hat, Inc., the leading provider of open source solutions, announced Tuesday that it has expanded its Kernel Development Group--continuing to fuel the rapid advancement of the Linux OS for solutions ranging from powerful Internet servers to the next-generation Internet appliances and devices.

"Red Hat is the leading source of Linux and open source expertise and is entirely dedicated to the worldwide, community development of the Linux operating system," said Michael Tiemann, CTO of Red Hat, Inc. "Our Kernel Development Group works with thousands of users, application developers and enthusiasts worldwide every day to enhance the Linux operating system and meet changing end user needs."

The work done by the Red Hat Kernel Development Group is submitted to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux and head of Linux kernel development, for inclusion in the Linux kernel. An enhanced Linux kernel, the basis for the Linux operating system, is distributed freely over the Internet under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Red Hat builds and packages the Red Hat Linux operating system, which includes top applications and services to enterprise users worldwide.

"Red Hat has always had a strong kernel group, and I'm happy that they continue to make it stronger," said Torvalds.

The Red Hat Kernel Development Group

The Red Hat Kernel Development Group consists of 14 Red Hat employees who apply their superior Linux development skills to enhance the Linux kernel so it can meet the needs of a diverse and growing community of users. The group includes: Peter Braam, Zach Brown, Alan Cox, Richard Henderson, Harald Hoyer, Jakub Jelinek, Michael K. Johnson, Ben LaHaise, Doug Ledford, David Miller, Ingo Molnar, Stephen Tweedie, Alexander Viro and Wensong Zhang.

The expanded kernel development group is just one of Red Hat's many contributions to the open source community and development cycle. Red Hat is also engaged in the Trillian Project, a server and workstation industry open source collaboration that is porting Intel's forthcoming Itanium processor to Linux. As part of the Trillian Project, Red Hat is porting the GNUPro Toolkit (gcc, g , gdb) and GNOME to IA-64, and including the IA-64 port in forthcoming editions of Red Hat Linux. In addition, Red Hat recently held a clustering technology summit, is a longtime contributor to the Mozilla project and created the Red Hat Center for Open Source, a non-profit organization that is a catalyst for the advancement of the social principles of open source.

Open Source Momentum

International Data Corp. (IDC) research states that Linux-based operating systems were the fastest-growing server operating environment in 1998, growing more than 190 percent in that year alone and capturing more than 15.8 percent of the 4.4 million revenue shipment server operating environment market. Red Hat's numerous alliances with industry leaders and the demand for Linux-based applications has created open source support from many of the industry's leading software and hardware manufacturers, including Compaq, Computer Associates, Corel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Netscape, Novell, Oracle and SAP. Red Hat Linux runs on Intel, Alpha and Sun SPARC platforms.

Founded in 1994, Red Hat (NASDAQ: RHAT) is a market leader in open source operating system (OS) software and services. Along with its award-winning open source Red Hat Linux OS, Red Hat offers a full line of services, including telephone support, on-site consulting, developer training, certification programs and priority access updates, making Red Hat a leading and complete resource for knowledgeable, innovative, mission-critical open source solutions.

Red Hat shares all of its software innovations freely with the open source community under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The Official Red Hat Linux OS and related services are available directly from the company and through its partner, distributor and reseller programs, which include top PC and server manufacturers such as Compaq, Dell, Gateway, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Silicon Graphics.

Red Hat and the Official Red Hat Linux OS have received industry praise. Recent accolades include: Red Herring's Top 100 Companies of the Electronic Economy, Upside's Hot 100 Companies, Network World's 10 Companies to Watch, Federal Computer Week's Government Best Buy, Software Development's Jolt Award and InfoWorld's Product of the Year for four years in a row. Red Hat was also voted a "LinuxWorld Favorite" by the attendees of the two most recent LinuxWorld Expos, winning Best Server Distribution at the August show.

Red Hat is based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. and has offices worldwide. FMI: www.redhat.com.