Fate may hold something of a pre-determined fragmentation for Linux operating systems, like Unix before them, that even standards efforts cannot undo. This morning we ran the story Linux distributors team up to push standardization in which we reported the formation of the Linux Core Consortium. LCC, comprised of Linux distro’s Turbolinux, MandrakeSoft, Conectiva, and Progeny Linux Systems, assumed the mission of pushing standardization with the aim of making sure that Linux distributors do not splinter the way that Unix vendors did. So, a new set of Linux players are embarking down the same road as Unit-edLinux, the effort consisting of SuSE, Conectiva, Turbolinux and the now dreaded SCO Group. Almost anything is possible, I have to admit, and preventing a divison of Linux vendors falls under that. I’m just not sure fragmentation is really such a bad thing in the long run. Don’t get me wrong, I think the LCC is a fine idea. It is not my intent to under-mine any of the four companies involved. Indeed, each is important in its own right. And the group foreshadowed a step in the right direction by convincing the likes of Novell, CA, Red Hat, HP and Sun to express support, albeit hardly enough support to actually join the LCC. Presumably, though, there was no word from IBM. The thing is, I can’t help wondering if customers are actually better off today be-cause of the Unix splintering, despite the fact that it is predominantly viewed in a negative light. Was it really fragmentation that whittled down the number of companies selling Unix? Perhaps. But a strategy on Microsoft’s part of lower pricing and software that runs on commodity servers, in tandem with a desktop OS monopoly did not hurt, either. Regardless of the reasons, customers now have more choices in the server space than they would have if Unix standardized into a stronghold. And I am not sure that the fact that IBM AIX, HP-UX and Sun Solaris are the remaining Unix operating systems is a result of anything more than market progression. History shows that as markets from automobiles to operating systems mature, the number of product providers dwindles. Furthermore, while some might argue that Unix’ heyday is over, those remaining vendors are still cranking out new versions of Unix. Sun, after all, just this week took the wraps off of Solaris 10, a major new release that the company put a lot of muscle into, both technology- and marketing-wise. So Unix is still getting better. Had Unix somehow been standardized, I don’t see Sun, HP and IBM still updat-ing those old OSes with the same fervor Sun threw toward Solaris 10. Fragmentation may be an unstoppable force of nature that will impact the Linux distributors. Of course, that remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that LCC would stand a better chance of not joining UnitedLinux among the perished if Novell, HP, Sun, CA and also IBM actually joined the organization. I welcome opposing viewpoints at tom_sullivan@infoworld.com. Technology Industry