They are Canada's newest Linux entrepreneurs and they're looking to make it big — before they graduate.
The four twentysomethings behind a Markham, Ont.-based company called Ignalum may all be students at the University of Western Ontario, but that hasn't stopped them from coming up with a plan to promote their new open-source operating system.
“We hope some day the entire world will be using Ignalum Linux,” says Daniel Ho, the company's founder, the software's creator and a third-year computer science student. “For now, we can't think about that. We can only think about contributing to open source and helping encourage the adoption of Linux in Canada.”
To do that, the fledgling company is offering its software for free on the Internet. While that's a common practice in the world of open source “distros” or distributions, what sets Ignalum Linux apart is its ability to run popular Windows applications such as Office, Word and Excel.
(The name Ignalum comes from Mr. Ho's Chinese name “Gna-Lum Hoh.”) Linux purists may shudder at the thought of an open-source offshoot being able to integrate with Microsoft software, but Mr. Ho thinks the feature will win new fans over to Linux.
“Not too many businesses will migrate completely to Linux,” he said. “They want to incorporate Linux into their Windows environment. Our distribution is a good way for them to do that.”
Right now, Ignalum Linux is being subjected to a last round of testing. The latest version will be officially released in June, but the company claims the beta version now available on ignalum.com is already one of the most advanced Linux systems available. It has an easy-to-use intuitive graphical environment, offers single sign-on authentication for a mixed Unix-Windows environment and has advanced Internet-sharing capabilities.
“The thing with the other ‘distros' is it takes a system administrator to set something up,” Mr. Ho explained. “We're trying to simplify things so a regular user can pretty much do everything — and we're trying to make it as user friendly as Windows.”
Student project or not, Ignalum is a sign of just how much the open-source movement in Canada is going mainstream. Industry experts say independent software vendors (ISVs) realize they can reap substantial rewards from Linux.
“We're starting to see a trend where certain ISVs are viewing Linux as their reference platform,” says CJ Coopersmith, director of Linux strategy at Hewlett-Packard Co.
“They're like anybody else. They're going after growth and volume,” Mr. Coopersmith said. “The ISV availability on Linux is just blossoming lately.
“At the end of the day, the killer application for Linux is cost — and we're still in a cost-driven market,” Mr. Coopersmith added. “In the last two years, customers are saying: ‘Okay, I am going to invest, I am willing to experience some risk, but I am investing to cut costs.' That's driving the growth for Linux.”
A computer engineering professor the University of Western Ontario agrees. Jagath Samarabandu said Daniel Ho and his fellow students working on Ignalum Linux should be commended.
“With most of the [open source] distributions today, you do need a lot of technical background to use them,” Prof. Samarabandu says.
“These guys have gotten closer to the user and made it easier,” he said. “There are a lot of companies that are looking for turnkey solutions with minimum maintenance, and this is definitely going to fill that need.”
The students behind Ignalum see an opportunity to build their company, thanks to that trend. And for them, Mr. Ho says, Linux “represents freedom” as well as a business.
“It gives us, as university students, an opportunity to gain experience and practical coding skills,” he explained. “Open source also means people, businesses — everyone — has a choice if they want to incorporate Linux into their Windows environment.”
Special to The Globe and Mail
