IT executives who have been eyeing Linux as an alternative operating system for enterprise servers are beginning to see more diverse options emerge from the open source arena.

While Red Hat and Caldera continue to make headlines, SuSE advances with Intel backing and version 6.3.

An online Linux retailer LinuxComponents.COM, widely known as a cheap source for Linux hardware and software products, has just announced that it will sell and support industry recognized enterprise Linux Solutions.

Check Point, a long time leader in worldwide firewall market share, has announced that it will target the release of a Linux version of its flagship product, Firewall-1 as well as VPN-1 in Q1 of 2000.

The market seems to like the idea of Red Hat acquiring Corel even if this just hearsay at present. Of most interest to Red Hat would be the work carried out by Corel on a distribution of Linux aimed at bringing Linux into the mass PC market.

Red Hat's most significant move in this time period has, strangely, gone relatively unnoticed. Earlier this month, they made the transition from a "Linux company" to an "Open source company" by announcing their first support offerings for Apache on non-Linux platforms.

The other advantage that Linux has is that it is a cut from UNIX, one of the most powerful and widely implemented Network platforms. Unix also has a client base, now many do not have the computer power to run such a platform but what if you could have the same efficiency and stability but on your home PC, enter LINUX.

The business of Linux can best be described with one word: BOOM! It's no normal boom, mind you. It's a thundering boom, the kind that's shaking windows from Wall Street to Redmond.

If you can't beat them, buy them. That's the motto of some groups inside SCO and Sun Microsystems, which are exploring the possibility of buying a Linux vendor, say highly placed sources at Caldera Systems, SCO, Sun and TurboLinux.

Rumors swirled that North Carolina-based Linux firm Red Hat Inc. is looking at Corel as a possible acquisition target.