Red Hat Software, a distributor of the Linux operating system, said it received investments from three more computer companies: IBM, Compaq, and Novell.
The announcement didn't disclose the value of the investments, but said the companies would all take a minority stake in the firm. Red Hat is based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
The announcement brings to six the number of major technology suppliers that have taken stakes in Red Hat. The other three investors are Intel, Netscape, and Oracle.
While Linux software is free, companies like Red Hat plan to make money by selling support and services to corporations using the operating system. In recent months, several major computer companies have expressed an interest in Linux, many of them seeing it as an alternative to the Windows software.
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Communicator updated: Netscape released a new version of its Communicator Internet browser and email software Tuesday.
The new version, 4.51, gives users access to stock quotes via the Netcenter finance channel. The program also comes with a free copy of AOL's Instant Messenger 2.0 and includes more than 100 fixes.
The program can be downloaded for free from Netscape's Netcenter Web site.
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Debian debut: Another free download was opened to the public Tuesday from Debian, advocates for the open source software movement.
Debian released its 2.1 version of the Debian operating system, which is based on the Linux kernel.
