We started our evaluations of the feasibility of certifying Linux desktop clients with the E-Business Suite over two years ago, an eon in this industry.
Things have changed since then. It may be technically feasible to use the native Sun JRE plug-in with Linux desktops, and I’ve seen anecdotal reports that suggest that some power users are using this configuration already.
However, formal certification of Linux desktops with the E-Business Suite has been put on hold, and we have no immediate plans to conduct any Early Adopter Programs or internal certification tests with Linux desktops.
Understanding Your Requirements
One of the challenges that we’ve had in prioritizing this certification is the relative lack of information about real customer demand. This is further complicated by the plethora of available Linux distributions.
We update our certification priorities regularly based on the latest available technologies and customer requirements, all of which are
constantly evolving. If you’d like to let us know about your plans for Linux, drop me an email or post a comment here with answers to the following questions:
- How many production desktops are running Linux?
- How many production desktops are running Windows or Mac OS X?
- What Linux distribution and version are you using on your desktops?
(e.g. Red Hat Linux Desktop 5) - What chipset are your desktops running?
(e.g. Intel x86, AMD64, and Intel 64) - What browser and version are being used on Linux?
(e.g. Firefox 2.0.0.5) - What E-Business Suite release are you running?
(e.g. Release 11.5.10.2, 12.0.2) - What applications are you running?
(e.g. Accounts Payable, Order Management, Inventory)