Mainsoft, IBM Widen Linux Links

Mainsoft Corp. and IBM have joined together to extend the Linux ecosystem by helping Microsoft Corp. customers move to Linux.

Mainsoft Corp. and IBM have joined together to extend the Linux ecosystem by helping Microsoft Corp. customers move to Linux.

Mainsoft officials said the new program enables Windows Web and server applications to run on Linux across IBMs line of eServer platforms supporting IBM WebSphere application servers. Mainsoft, a cross-platform development company, produces the Visual MainWin single source code development solution for .Net and J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition).

"This is a teaming agreement with IBM for .Net ISVs to get into the Linux and J2EE markets," said Yaacov Cohen, president and CEO of Mainsoft, in San Jose, Calif. "This gives ISVs the opportunity to double their market."

With the announcement of its agreement with IBM, Mainsoft also announced Version 1.7 of Visual MainWin for J2EE. Visual MainWin enables C# and Visual Basic .Net developers to develop and maintain Web and server applications on both platforms, Cohen said.

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In addition, Version 1.7 has been validated on IBMs ServerProven program, he said.

"One reason Im excited about this is that some ISVs have made strategic decisions to port to Java versus .Net, but this is a situation where .Net ISVs can recompile to Java byte code," said Scott Handy, vice president of worldwide Linux strategy at IBM, in Armonk, N.Y.

"So the same application investment can support Linux in addition to Windows," Handy said.

Mainsoft helped Above All Software Inc. move its .Net-based server components to J2EE and WebSphere within three months, said Deborah Scharfetter, vice president of products at Above All Software, in Redwood City, Calif.

According to Scharfetter, Above All Softwares platform is based on .Net, but the companys customers and prospects were looking to deploy on Unix, Linux or J2EE. The Mainsoft team used Visual MainWin, delivered the Above All Software server deployments on J2EE, certified the application as eServer-proven to run on IBM WebSphere, and validated the application on BEA Systems Inc.s WebLogic and the Apache Software Foundations Apache Tomcat, Scharfetter said.