At its OpenWorld show in San Francisco, Oracle launched an enterprise-class Linux support program and invited Red Hat Linux customers to switch contracts, claiming it will charge up to 60 percent less for the same level of support.

The vendor hopes that the Unbreakable Linux program will persuade more companies to adopt the open-source operating system (OS), thereby accelerating deployment of Oracle’s Linux-based grid computing platform.

To support the announcement, Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison listed various barriers to enterprise uptake of Linux platforms. These included the fact that software bug fixes are only available as part of a complete Linux OS upgrade; expensive support packages; and worries about intellectual property rights.

“Bugs must be fixed in all versions the customer is running,” Ellison said. “This is the most serious problem for Linux customers today and is slowing adoption of Linux and making it difficult for enterprises to deploy it in mission critical application environments.”

Ellison also pledged to deliver the same level of support for Linux users as for other Oracle applications.

Ronan Miles, chairman of the UK Oracle user group, said the announcement might drive down Linux support costs. “Even though its cheap software on cheap tin, the support for Linux is still very expensive,” he added.

Bug fixes will be made available for present, past and future versions of Oracle and Red Hat Linux implementations, and will immediately be recompiled and synchronised with Red Hat code, Ellison said. Oracle will also indemnify those signing up against legal arguments like those initiated by SCO a few years ago.

“I don’t think Red Hat will be killed and we’re not planning a buyout,” added Ellison. “I’m sure it will respond by improving its support and lowering its prices to match ours.”

Red Hat shares tumbled following the announcement.

Red Hat swiftly posted a response to Oracle’s move, coining the ‘Unfakeable Linux’ tag and arguing that it increases the opportunity for Linux. The open-source specialist said that it will continue to work closely with Oracle “to optimise Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss middleware subscriptions for Oracle products”.

But Red Hat took exception to Oracle’s assertions over bug fixes. “There will be a delay between the time a Red Hat Enterprise Linux update is issued, and the time the source code makes its way to Oracle,” the firm claimed in an online statement. “And there is no guarantee that the source code for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux update will work correctly when integrated into Oracle's Linux code base.”

Red Hat added that Oracle’s move would result in a ‘fork’ in the open-source operating system. “The changes Oracle has stated they will make will result in a different code base than Red Hat Enterprise Linux,” the firm argued. “Simply put, this derivative will not be Red Hat Enterprise Linux and customers will not have the assurance of compatibility with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ecosystem.

Dave Mitchell, global head of software research for analyst Ovum, estimated that the global market for enterprise-class Linux support could eventually be worth up to $6bn annually. He said that Oracle, along with HP and Sun, are well placed to step up and take on the responsibility.

“The CIO wants technology, but all the CFO wants is a proper commercial support contract and somebody big enough to sue,” Mitchell added.

Not every company is geared up to deploy Linux however, whilst application support is still limited. Mitchell advised IT departments to take a long, hard look at their operating systems, applications and internal organisation before taking the plunge. “It would be more natural for a company with internal software developers and its own helpdesk to take on another layer of software support than it would be for others,” he added.

Oracle customers attending the OpenWorld event agreed. “It’s unlikely that w e’d move all of our systems to Linux, which means we’d still need to maintain Windows as well, and that sounds like a lot of extra work,” said one IT professional.