VA Linux and Sun Wah Linux Join Forces Around Debian

===

VA Linux and China-based Sun Wah Linux Form Strategic Alliance To build
Universal OS Infrastructure

The two companies manifest strong commitment to the Debian Project. 
Will greatly accelerate the acceptance of Debian GNU/Linux both
in Japan and China.

Tokyo, JAPAN; Nanjing, CHINA - March 1, 2005 -- 
VA Linux Systems Japan K.K. (VA Linux), a leading provider of 
Linux solutions for the telecommunications and enterprise systems 
markets, today announced a strategic alliance with 
Sun Wah Linux Limited (SWL) to jointly develop a universal 
Debian GNU/Linux infrastructure and actively promote the adoption 
of Debian-based systems in both the Japan and China markets.

The partnership of the two companies aims to capitalize on the 
competitive forces of both VA Linux's second-to-none technological 
excellence on server-level applications including the Linux Kernel, 
and SWL's rich experience on desktop applications and in-depth 
knowledge of internationalization (I18N) techniques, especially 
for Asian languages. The synergy of the two core competencies and 
strong dedication to Debian development assure a steep rise in 
the presence of Debian GNU/Linux in the global market. 
Furthermore, both firms will in cooperation promote the adoption 
of Debian-based systems in both Japanese and Chinese domestic 
markets, particularly the telecommunications and enterprise 
sectors in Japan and government and public arenas in China.

Currently VA Linux has six official Debian developers, including 
Simon Horman, well known for his contribution to the load-balancer
UltraMonkey and the Debian kernel team, and Takuo Kitame, 
a renowned developer for his work on GNOME and Mozilla-related 
technologies. There are two official Debian developers at SWL, 
including Roger So, an I18N specialist and a steering committee 
member of OpenI18N.

"In Asia, especially in Japan and China, Open Source is getting 
huge publicity and is now well-received," said Tetsuya Ueda, 
President and CEO of VA Linux in Tokyo. "To promote a truly free 
and universal OS such as Debian supports this trend strongly 
and pushes it further. We at VA Linux regard Debian as 
indispensable since it provides our valuable customers with a 
practical alternative, which can be freely used and deployed, 
and is highly customizable. I am sure that the strategic alliance with 
SWL will push Debian one step further, and considerably facilitate 
the adoption of Open Source solutions in both Japan and China."

"The Asia Open Source movement is gathering momentum for the next 
stage of explosive growth. Co-operation is the essence to achieve 
success in any given open source project. I am excited about 
joining forces with VA Linux of Japan to further accelerate Debian 
development. Aside from technological discoveries and strategic 
marketing, the partnership also allows us to nurture Debian 
specialists in both countries, with the aim of doubling the number 
of official Debian developers in the near future," said Alex Banh, 
CEO of Sun Wah Linux in Nanjing, China. 

"The Debian Project is a rock solid open source distribution and 
is an inseparable part of the Sun Wah Linux business. It promotes 
true open source spirit and offers incomparable values to our 
customers. I am seeing a growing number of Debian users in China 
and I am certain that the strategic alliance with VA Linux will 
contribute significantly to the development and adoption of 
Open Source solutions in our respective countries," adds Banh.


About VA Linux Systems Japan K.K.

Founded in September 2000, VA Linux Systems Japan K.K. (VA Linux), 
which has based its operations on the development of Linux and 
Open Source, has become one of the premier providers of Linux 
kernel, technological, and software solutions in the Japanese domestic
market. From March 2004 onward, VA Linux has been the recipient 
of funding from NTT Comware and NTT Data. VA Linux is currently 
at the forefront of implementing Linux solutions for 
telecommunication and enterprise system markets. 
http://www.valinux.co.jp/en/

About Sun Wah Linux Limited

Sun Wah Linux Limited is an independent open-source software 
developer and solutions provider for Linux-based systems. 
By establishing a solid foundation for Linux development in Asia, 
Sun Wah Linux provides customized solutions; training and 
education; seamless integration; and development tools that 
accelerate the acceptance of open-source software development 
and deployment in the region. The Company aims to be the leading 
open-source solutions provider in Asia.  http://www.sw-linux.com/

For more information, please contact Ying CAO, sales and marketing executive, 
Sun Wah Linux Limited (Email: ying.cao@sw-linux.com)


Endorsement:

Xie Zhengyi
Deputy Director of Jiangsu Information Industry Department.

"We always attach great importance to the cooperation of Chinese and 
Japanese enterprises in technology and application fields, especially
IT core technology. I believe the cooperation between SWL and VA Linux 
will accelerate not only the application of Linux and Open Source 
software, but also better communication between the two nations within 
the IT industry."


Kunshan Hu
China Software Industry Association 
Vice Chairman and Secretary General

"With their own abundant advantages and resources in Linux, CSIA 
supports Chinese and Japanese software enterprises to deeply develop 
technological collaboration, and we believe the cooperation between VA 
Linux and SWL can promote Linux technology in both countries."


Hironobu Nagano
Senior Vice President
Exective Manager, Open Source Software Dept.
NTT Comware Corporation

"NTT Comware enthusiastically welcomes the strategic alliance between
VA Linux and SWL.  We expect the cooperation between VA Linux and SWL
will accelerate not only the expansion of the Linux market in Asia but
also producing outstanding engineers who have deep knowledge of Open
Source Software (OSS).
NTT Comware is a leading provider of enterprise-level Linux solution
in Japan, and has been vigorously involved in several important
activities (including the Japan OSS Promotion Forum and the Northeast
Asia OSS Promotion Forum) for nurturing OSS engineers and building up
cooperation in the OSS field between Japan, China and Korea.  SWL is,
like us, a major member of the China OSS Promotion Alliance and has
been eagerly seeking to establish cooperation between Chinese
academic, business, and governmental circles.  SWL is one of our key
partners in the aforementioned efforts to promote OSS in Asia.
NTT Comware believes that the cooperation between VA Linux and SWL
will certainly accelerate the acceptance of OSS in both Japan and
China.  Moreover, we are sure that it will greatly contribute to
produce many world-class Asian OSS engineers in future."


Shin-ichi Yamada
Senior Vice President
Chief of Open Source Development Center
NTT Data Corporation

"NTT Data heartily welcomes the strategic cooperation between VA Linux
and SWL.  We expect that the adoption of GNU/Linux and Open Source
software in the northeast-Asian enterprise market will be
significated.  Also, we consider that this move is
crucial for nurturing engineers and vitalizing the global community of
OSS developers, which will in turn enable us to bring more reliable,
enterprise-level system foundation to our customers."


Contact

Takako Iizuka
Public Relations
VA Linux Systems Japan K.K.
phone: +81-3-3293-5151
fax: +81-3-3293-5152 
e-mail: mktg at valinux.co.jp