IBM Backs Off Linux Support for Itanium

IBM has pulled back on its work tuning the Linux operating system for Intel's Itanium processor, in a move that possibly points to a larger shift away from the fledgling processor, according to an analyst. IBM has transferred a handful of developers who had worked to make Linux perform well on Itanium to the task of tying the OS to its own Power processor, said Ron Favali, a spokesperson for IBM. This transition away from Itanium came as a result of slow market adoption of the chip thus far, according to Favali, and could signal a growing feud between IBM and Intel.