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ARE we witnessing the rise of that fanciful penguin in the Philippines-that operating system environment called Linux? Are we seeing the emergence of an OS environment previously stereotyped as a technogeek's operating system of choice? Will Linux ever become a full-time domain of conformists in the near future? Will it be able to transform itself as the new favorite of networking vendors and enterprise users?

Linux started gaining popularity as sort of an "underground product" supported by "free-spirited users" in some of the universities around the world. As it became known for being practical in its early years-transforming an aging PC into a useful file server, Linux has gone a long way from becoming a stereotypical geek's OS to gaining a wide following. It was even reported on a previous customer satisfaction poll how Linux outperformed all the other operating environments including Microsoft's Windows in terms of interoperability, cost of ownership, price and availability.

In the case of the Philippines, though no data could rate its wide following in the local market, Linux is already considered one of the fastest growing platforms for the back-end side. This was revealed by Iphil Communications Inc. president Fernando Contreras Jr. Aside from being an ISP, Iphil provides commercial Linux training and support.

"Linux, in reality, is not a geeky operating system," stressed Contreras. This impression, he added, was only earned by Linux because its main usage is on the back-end or the server side. Contreras predicted that Linux may futher shed off its limiting image soon as its usage would make it more and more common with the emergence of Internet and e-commerce.

"For most people going into e-commerce, Linux is now becoming an alternative choice and a valid solution for key server products,'' he said.

These key server products include Web servers, DNS servers, mail servers, security servers and e-commerce servers.

With Linux usage becoming more common specifically for those focusing on the Internet server side, it could widen its reach across various industries and at all levels.

Contreras said that the Philippines is "definitely ready" for Linux. Many companies, he said, have made Linux a priority.

Iphil reported that several companies are now emerging to make Linux part of their core business plan. Some notables mentioned are Q-Linux solutions, QSR Inc., Iphil, Linux Philippines and many others that are based locally. These companies, Iphil believes, provide a market push for Linux to make it more mainstream.

"Linux is no longer a novelty at this point and you shouldn't treat it as such-therefore don't be surprised that big name companies are starting to adopt Linux,'' said Iphil chief technology officer Miguel Paraz.

Other names in the mainstream who announced in the past their Linux iniatives are Oracle, IBM, Informix and Lucent.

Lucent Technologies Philippines president Greg Marshall observed how Linux has been gaining popularity for server and desktop computers over the last few years, especially in applications that connect to networks.

"It's well-suited for a broad range of applications that connect networks. It's well-suited for a broad range of computer and networking operations. Also, it's free. So is the Philippines ready for Linux? Absolutely. We think all of this is very good news to everyone,'' said Marshall.

Marshall added that Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs recently announced that it is releasing free Linux virus protection software.

Asked if Iphil sees Linux in the country as a constant threat to Microsoft's Windows, Contreras said that Linux is not a threat and definitely not a competitor. Instead, he added, it is providing alternative solutions to problems.

"It is Microsoft who is saying that we are competing with them. Actually, there is no competition since there is no comparison between the two. Maybe in terms of solutions there is, but how can you compare free software to a commercial one,'' he added.

"Threat is probably too much said," added Lucent's Marshall in a separate interview. "Windows is a totally dominant operatings system on all personal computers and majority of networked machines."

Marshall added that he is optimistic that the software development community will remain very vibrant and creative such that he has no doubt that new and improved platforms will continue to emerge and succeed each other.

"Some will fade and disappear, others will return to prominence," he said.

In the meantime, even if Linux is gaining popularity for server and desktop computers, the fact still remains that it still has low penetration on the desktop side. Besides, very few end-users are using Linux as a core system for their desktop use. In time it could even lead the consumer market. This gives more reason for companies like Iphil to work hard to push for Linux. Iphil said that there has been a big drive for users of Linux to bring the system to the desktop arena. Star Office and Linux appliances are some of the key steps being taken by the industry to make Linux a consumer product.

Linux advocates in the Philippines believe that factors that could push Linux to join the mainstream are market awareness and availability of local commercial support.

Linux is also being pushed forward via conferences, hands-on tutorials, sessions and technical and management tracks. Recently, there was a two-day conference that started on June 8 highlighting Linux via technical sessions and tutorials. Last week saw a big event of the second Philippine Open Source conference in Cebu sponsored by Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (Comddap) and Iphil. The objective of these activities is to further enlighten people on what Linux can do for them.

Asked how Iphil is positioning itself with Linux's promising future in the Philippines, Contreras stressed that it is not the intention of Iphil to make Linux dominate the market. Instead it aims to promote Linux as "a solution that is based on the most technologically superior product.''