THOUGH the penguin that serves as their mascot is a flightless bird, Linux users are convinced that the operating system can and will fly.

This conviction was reinforced in the Philippines when Presidential Consultant for Information Technology and Communications Jovencio "Chito" Kintanar said the government is looking into the possibilities of using Linux. Kintanar was the guest of honor at Linux '99, the first Philippine open source conference, which was organized last week by IPhil Communications and WS Expositions.

Asked whether he would advocate the use of Linux in his capacity as presidential consultant, Kintanar said that he would "really encourage the government to push for Linux," though adding that the government will of course still look at other platforms. He did not, however, share what specific steps he would take to push for Linux in government.

One challenge faced by proponents of this open source operating system (OS), however, is transforming Linux's strong following among techies into a broader appeal to businessmen and consumers.

"While it's true that techies are generally the ones who know about Linux, the efforts of the open source community are spreading the word to the general public, particularly through events like Linux '99. True, we didn't have brand awareness before, but that's changing very rapidly because many prestigious companies have announced Linux strategies," said Andrew Kaufman, director of communications of Penguin Computing, a complete Linux solutions provider that has completely built its business model around open source computing and the Internet.

Developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991, Linux is actually a variant of Unix. Its greatest appeal is the adherence of Linux users to the open source mode. Users do not have to license the software and programmers can copy and modify the source code for applications, so long as they do not make these innovations proprietary. To protect the open nature of Linux and prevent it from spawning many incompatible variants like Unix, a General Public License governs Linux distribution.

Kaufman stressed that the growth of the open source movement is going to force software vendors to change their business model. The software development industry, led by Microsoft Corp., gets its lifeblood from royalties paid out for use of their OS and applications.

Citing the rise of Penguin Computing from zero to a $1-million-a-month business in just 18 months, Kaufman said that software companies must learn to leverage the Internet for business and leverage open source for research and development. Penguin Computing, for example, conducts 98 percent of its sales over the Internet, according to Kaufman.

"We also allow the open source community to build the technology for free," he added, pointing out that this free exchange of information is one of the major strengths of the open source movement. "We are not just techies. We are savvy business people. What we're saying is that not only can you leverage your business on open source, but you better (do so.)"

The use of Linux in the business community Kaufman was referring to may even get a boost from the government, if Kintanar converts his words into action.

"Apparently, what I'm hearing is that Linux is virtually free," Kintanar said. "This may be what will enhance the Filipino's creativity when it comes to information technology."

Kintanar added that he had been hearing many good things about Linux for the past six months. He also said that like the jeepney, Linux could become a vehicle for Filipino creativity.

"This is the first time for me to see Linux in action, and it seems very impressive," Kintanar said.