Looking to pique enterprise customer interest in Linux, major vendors this week will unveil clustering technology, embedded systems software and thin-client options for the open source operating system.

Although Linux is still being talked about more than it is used, support from a founding Unix company and Windows stalwarts indicate that the operating system is definitely growing up.

Andover.Net the leading Linux destination, launched a comprehensive services program for the Open Source community on its Freshmeat.Net site. Freshmeat, the Internet's largest archive of Linux/Open Source projects, now offers everything an organization needs to begin, develop and distribute an Open Source project including: free web hosting, web-based CVS, unlimited FTP downloads and project and mailing list management.

Corel Corporation announced that the first beta version of its WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux has been issued to beta testing sites.

This site is dedicated for people that have interest on open source solutions can discuss, share information and collaborate works.

Hot on the heels of the unveilings of Transmeta's Mobile Linux and Lineo's Embedix, Red Hat Inc. is joining the embedded-system fray with its Red Hat Tools for Embedded Developers.

Storage management vendor Veritas Software Corp. in Mountain View, Calif., has announced plans to launch Linux versions of all its key products, including its Cluster Server fail-over software.

IBM extended its support for the Linux operating system to "thin-client" computers. Generally speaking, a thin-client computer is a stripped-down PC that runs programs off a powerful server computer instead of from a unit on the desk. A new trend is adapting thin clients to run Linux, the popular Unix derivative developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds.

Linux is hot, and Informix Corp. is about to let its flagship database go at fire-sale prices in a bid to win market share. From Feb. 10 through Oct. 10, Informix, of Menlo Park, Calif., will offer Linux versions of its Internet Foundation 2000 database at discounts of 85 percent to 90 percent.

Skinny servers stacked up by the dozen are rapidly becoming the preferred way for PC companies to squeeze profits out of the popularity of the free Linux operating systems. Several factors--relatively low cost, high reliability and network-friendliness--make Linux a good choice for companies that need lots of servers to handle tasks such as delivering Web pages or funneling requests to a back-end database.