One of our editors signs her e-mail "Lots of things Linux." Here at Linux.SYS-CON.com, our intention is to be nothing less than all things Linux.

There was a time when Linux was monolithic, if such a thing can be said about an operating system developed and debugged by thousands of enthusiastic volunteers. These volunteers were joined by a unique sense of purpose, to build a Unix-like operating system, available to anyone anywhere. For free. Linus Torvalds and the developers who caught his itch borrowed from, and in turn shaped, the open source movement. The open source method of software development is directly responsible for the high quality of the operating system to which we are dedicated.

Because of that quality, Linux has leaked into mainstream business and has grown beyond this technical base. Linux no longer lives in the vacuum of the hobbyist's computer. It exists at the heart of your business, on your desktops and in your data centers. For today's enterprise, the source of Linux's strength is, to a degree, immaterial; it is enough that it works as well as it does, and at a lower overall TCO than the alternatives.

We at Linux.SYS-CON.com are committed to both sides of the Linux community. Our Web site at Linux.SYS-CON.com is more for the technically minded, and those concerned with the day-to-day happenings in and around the Linux world. There you will find articles that speak to Linux's head waters, to the technological community that has built and continues to improve upon this truly wonderful operating system and the applications that surround it.

On the other hand, Linux.SYS-CON.com focuses on the strategic decision maker. In these pages, you will read about how companies have successfully deployed Linux. You will learn about Linux's fault tolerance and horizontal scalability and how it provides higher uptime on commodity hardware. Similarly, we will guide you through Linux's challenges, such as new hardware configurations and deployment models. You will discover that most ISVs have already embraced Linux, that many of the enterprise applications you currently use are already available for this "upstart" operating system. We're here to give you enough information to evaluate Linux's strengths and weaknesses and are confident that you will conclude, as we have, that Linux is a viable option for your business.

If only it were as simple as Great Operating System + Lower Costs = Straightforward Decision. Unfortunately, as we all know, politics is an inherent part of business. Linux threatens the status quo; it threatens those vendors who have been plodding along the old way for so long. The SCO debacle is nothing more than the latest attempt by that camp to spread Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. They are trying to intimidate you and the Linux community into abandoning the powerful business model at the heart of Linux and trying to hammer Linux into the mold of proprietary systems. As we explain, in these pages and on Linux.SYS-CON.com, it is an approach doomed to failure.

I could tell you that SCO's will be the last assault, but I would be lying. Success breeds enemies. There will be other pretenders. Linux.SYS-CON.com will be there to see you safely through any such attack.

Despite a minor rhetorical point above, the open source movement, the wellspring of Linux's quality, is of vital importance to the world of Linux business. For a start, you owe your peace of mind and your increased ROI to these obsessed technologists.

More than that, it's impossible to investigate and implement Linux without coming across words like "open source" and "movement." Such expressions can be off-putting, can call to mind images of unkempt fanatics hacking away in the dark. With Linux.SYS-CON.com as your guide, these phrases need not make you nervous. At its core, open source is simply software developed by volunteers for the sheer technical pleasure and challenge of it. The result, as is the case with Linux, is often far better software than would be possible under a proprietary model. But let's dispense with that wildeyed stereotype. Major technology companies, such as IBM and Sun, make significant contributions to many open source projects. Open source is legitimate business.

Naturally, there will be some thematic overlap between the Linux.SYS-CON.com Web site and Linux.SYS-CON.com. Just as it is important for strategic decision makers to have a familiarity with the technologies they are considering, it is important too for the tech folk to understand the thought processes of those decision makers. Through the Web site at Linux.SYS-CON.com and the pages of Linux.SYS-CON.com, we bring it all together. For you.