Last week our company made announcements around the world about the availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, the availability of the Advanced Platform for mission-critical server deployments, the coming of Red Hat Exchange (RHX) and more. See the press release, watch the webcast. As we continue to work on new technologies and products for you today, many have expressed interest in our desktop solutions. Here are some more details.

For years a desktop solution has been part of our enterprise portfolio. With Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, we’re introducing the next generation of our Enterprise Desktop. This solution is primarily targeted at knowledge workers in enterprises of all sizes. For those looking for a low-cost, high-value solution for the client side of business or those wanting good, functional applications, our new desktop is for you.

Our desktop solution includes lots of new things that we’re excited about. This includes a new UI and new productivity tools. It can be configured for High Performance Computing and Virtualization and is highly optimized to work with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 servers too. It’s also optionally integrated with our identity and security product and will feature new, compelling management capabilities.

Our work and commitment to the One Laptop Per Child initiative gives insight into our vision into the opportunities for entry-level client solutions for emerging markets. We’ll have more news focusing on a low-cost, simplified client offering soon.

We expect to be making this further announcement about an entry-level desktop solution in the coming months. Our goal is not to merely make copies of desktop solutions already available from other providers, but to work with the needs of customers and markets to create something even more usable and productive for today’s requirements. Check back to hear more soon.


About the author

Paul Cormier is Chairman of Red Hat. He has been with the company since 2001 and previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure, he has driven much of the company’s open hybrid cloud strategy, playing an instrumental role in expanding Red Hat’s portfolio to a full, modern IT stack based on open source innovation.

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