IBM AIX goes into open beta

IBM BEGAN its promised open beta of AIX 6, offering a welcome a dose of medernity to the old world of Big Blue Unix after years of closed programmes.

AIX 6 will run on older systems but also the latest Power6-based SystemP boxes - the ones you still call RS/6000 - launched in London a few months ago when we were all looking forward to a dry, hot summer. Well, at least we got a new Unix release.

Features include new partitioning capabilities and security extensions as well as optimisations for the new chips that debuted with barnstorming clock speeds and plenty of headroom for even faster ones, according to IBM.

A commercial release of AIX 6 is expected later this year in September or October, providing no showstopper bugs crop up. µ