Red Hat Set to Promote Online Store
The VAR Guy hears Red Hat will provide an update about its online software store next week during the company’s customer summit in San Diego. In theory, the move could allow Red Hat to become the Amazon.com of online software sales.
Sources close to Red Hat say the Linux provider and at least one of its closest partners–MySQL–will speak make an “official announcement” about the online store, known as Red Hat Exchange, sometime between May 9 and May 11.
Red Hat first announced the online exchange in March. At the time, major open source application developers–including MySQL, Centric CRM, SugarCRM and JasperSoft–vowed to offer their applications for sale on the exchange. Also of note, MySQL will serve as the foundation database for the site, which customers and VARs will be able to use.
Red Hat’s online exchange comes at a critical time for the Linux company. In recent months, the open source spotlight has shifted from Linux to rapidly maturing applications. In April, MySQL held a successful developer and customer conference. And this week, SugarCRM in San Jose is hosting its first developer conference. Roughly 200 developers from around the world are attending.
SugarCRM’s momentum has even caught the attention of Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, who made a surprise guest appearance at the summit the morning of May 4.
The growing popularity of open source applications is not to be underestimated. Several Fortune 100 companies have recently deployed SugarCRM, and The VAR Guy hears a major U.S. telecom provider next week will announce plans to shift to an open source email system. The VAR Guy promises more details about that news soon.
Red Hat itself is trying to cash in on the shift to open source applications, offering a full-suite of third-party software through the company’s online exchange.
[…] bloggers think Red Hat Exchange could become an Amazon.com of sorts for online software purchases. That#8217;s a bold statement, but at the very least the exchange […]