VA Linux, Sun Wah team on Debian Linux

VA Linux Systems Japan K.K. (VA Linux) and Sun Wah Linux will jointly promote a Linux distribution in Japan and China, the companies said Tuesday.

The companies have agreed to promote the adoption of Debian GNU/Linux by telecommunications companies, large businesses and government agencies in the two countries, they said.

Debian is a distribution of the GNU/Linux open source operating system. Sun Wah Linux is a subsidiary of the Sun Wah Group, a Hong Kong-based food, financial services, real estate and technology company, according to the company's Web site.

The cooperation will be to enhance Debian, said VA Linux President and Chief Executive Officer Tetsuya Ueda.

For now the partnership will largely involve the exchange of engineers and information between the companies, and the development and training of new engineers, he said.

VA Linux has six staff working on developing Debian, while Sun Wah has two staff engaged in the project.

The companies already have staff working on the Linux kernel and on I18N, a type of international language support, and plan to increase the number of staff they are paying to work on developing the Debian codebase, they said.

"As far as we know, VA Linux Japan is the only company in Japan that puts Debian/GNU Linux as part of its core business, and Sun Wah Linux is the only one (to do so) in China," Ueda said.

"We share the same understanding and have different know-how, so we believe this alliance will be the best match," he said.

As part of the first joint activities, VA Linux has already dispatched three engineers to a conference on the system in Beijing that is being sponsored by Sun Wah, he said.

"If we will be able to enhance our contribution, it will bring lots of merit not only for Asian companies but also companies working with OSS (open source software) in other countries," Ueda said.