To reach the heights of Mt. Fuji is perhaps what Turbolinux has in mind with the next version of its Linux distribution.
Code-named Fuji, version 11 of Turbolinux is initially being targeted at the
Japanese market. The company said the new release, which comes two years after version 10, is being issued partially in response to a recent Japanese government decision to use open source systems and applications.
High on the list of new features is a number of tools that Turbolinux
has specifically aimed at easing migrations from Windows.
Through an exclusive partnership with SpecOps Labs, a Philippines-based vendor, Fuji will include the “David” application, which, according to Turbolinux, is “middleware that enables desktop machines operating on the Linux OS to run Windows applications.”
The David engine uses plug-in modules that enable users to install and use
Windows applications in Fuji. Turbolinux claims that Microsoft Office,
Internet Explorer and Lotus Notes are among the applications that David will
enable on Fuji.
Fuji also includes support for Active Directory authentication, as well as
file sharing between Linux and Windows servers.
Virus protection also gets
a boost thanks to the Kaspersky Labs anti-virus engine which has been
incorporated into Fuji’s Turbo Anti-Virus program.
“Fuji merges the most exceptional features of both Linux and Windows,”
said Koichi Yano, president and COO of Turbolinux, in a statement. “It
offers a singular hybrid operating system that will continue to broaden
Linux use in several expanding markets, including corporate, government and
educational IT initiatives.”
Market leadership in Asia is hotly contested.In April, Turbolinux claimed that it was also leading the market in China. And in August, Novell claimed that it held the lead.
Fuji is initially being released in Japan with retail
sales slotted to begin on Nov. 25. An international product release is
targeted for release in the first quarter of 2006.
