From the 'why Oracle matters to Linux' files:

Ubuntu Linux 9.04 is set for release on April 23rd for both the server and the desktop, and though it will include many new features it will be lacking at least one key item --�� Oracle certification.

I asked Mark Shuttleworth founder of Ubuntu about the lack of Oracle certification for 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope and he didn't seem too concerned, though he did admit Oracle holds a special place in the application landscape.





"Oracle is a litmus test for enterprise readiness," Shuttleworth told InternetNews.com. "So Oracle certification is far more important to us as a public testament to the reliability and ruggedness of Ubuntu than it is in terms of sheer volume."

Oracle has it's own Oracle Enterprise Linux (based on Red Hat) and certifies its applications on Red Hat and Novell's versions of Linux.

Shuttleworth argued that he has not seen any organization where Oracle applications represent a large number of Linux servers. In his view an organization only needs so many database servers.

I asked Oracle's top Linux exec, Wim Coekaerts, Director of Linux Engineering what he thought of Ubuntu and why Oracle hasn't certified it -- and got the flip side of Shuttleworth's answer.