Red Hat acquires AOL's Netscape server software

In a move to add more open-source arrows to its quiver, Linux seller Red Hat has acquired the Netscape server software products of AOL Time Warner, the companies plan to announce Thursday. Red Hat plans to release the Netscape Enterprise Suite as open-source software, meaning that anyone will be able to use, modify and redistribute the products. It's a new step in Red Hat's "open-source architecture" plan to expand beyond its core product, the Linux operating system, Chief Executive Matthew Szulik plans to tell analysts at a company conference Thursday in New York.

In an interview Wednesday, Szulik declined to comment on terms of the deal, but said the company spent less than $25 million on the acquisition. The new software will help Red Hat "achieve deeper penetration into the enterprise and government market" and, eventually, increase the price customers will pay for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The software will be incorporated into current Red Hat products in the next six to 12 months.

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