There's less concern about which OS you're on and, in fact, we're not going to cap it, we're going to see what happens with our users. We don't have a target, but I expect Linux usage will go up," said Scott Handy, vice president for Linux and open source at IBM.

IBM says the 1.6 million stand-alone Linux servers running in enterprise data centers is too many. It's not Linux IBM has a thing against; it's the physical server hardware running the operating system.

IBM said on Sunday that it will offer an open desktop software system for businesses that puts the cost of managing computers running Linux or Apple's Mac OS on a more equal footing with Microsoft's Windows software, improving the economics of Windows alternatives.

In an effort to bolster use of its open source middleware and license-free database software, IBM on Wednesday said it will provide free sales and marketing support to developers who create products for those offerings.

Organizations running Linux in virtual machines on the mainframe will soon be able to throw more workloads onto the system thanks to an update to the z/VM operating system that now scales across 32 processor units, compared to the previous version that scaled to 24.

IBM has donated its “Identity Mixer” software to the Higgins open-source project in a move that could help make Internet business transactions safer for all.

The software allows an individual to provide encrypted digital credentials issued by trusted organisations such as banks when making an online transaction, instead of giving credit card or other details in plain text.

IBM, which has been a big backer of open-source software, is working with seven universities on new computing research projects whose fruits would be widely shared rather than held as intellectual property.

IBM this week said it has certified over 2,500 software applications for Linux systems running on the computer-makers Power CPU architecture.