埃利森将与雅虎达成的交易称作是甲骨文攻击linux领头羊Red Hat计划取得进展的第一个“铁证”。甲骨文克隆了Red Hat Enterprise linux，以比Red Hat更低的价格销售支持服务。
埃利森在一次电话会议上说，我们已经签署了大量支持合同，其中一些合同金额超过了50万美元。我们已经取代Red Hat为雅虎和许多其它网站的linux支持服务提供商。
Red Hat和雅虎都表示，Red Hat并没有遭到抛弃。雅虎负责技术的副总裁劳里在一份声明中说，我们目前的基础设施同时使用了Red Hat和甲骨文的linux产品。Red Hat女发言人莉说，Red Hat和雅虎还有大量的合作伙伴关系。
甲骨文没有就此事发表评论。
计算巨头急于向雅虎出售产品并不令人惊奇，雅虎运行着数十万台服务器。尽管不清楚雅虎会在多大范围内使用甲骨文的linux产品，甲骨文获得一家知名客户是值得注意的，是其开展linux业务的一个里程碑。
埃利森说，我们无法在一夜之间建立起linux业务，但我们会不懈地努力。我们的linux支持业务尚处于早期阶段，但我们已经有了一个很好的开端。我们的linux支持业务进展得很好，戴尔、惠普、CDW都在转销Oracle Enterprise linux。
Red Hat去年12月份表示，在最近的季度中，没有感到甲骨文的linux计划的影响。Red Hat首席执行官马太表示，他没有下调支持服务价格的计划。
甲骨文一直是Red Hat的合作伙伴，但随着linux的成熟，两家公司分道扬镳了。Red Hat在2006年收购了JBoss，与甲骨文在Java应用服务器软件市场上竞争。甲骨文的Unbreakable linux计划则使得它成为了Red Hat直接的竞争对手。
Ellison cited the Yahoo deal as the first real evidence of progress from Oracle's high-profile attack on linux leader Red Hat that began in October. Oracle is cloning Red Hat Enterprise linux, selling support for less than Red Hat's list prices.
"We've already signed a number of support contracts, some for over half a million dollars. And Oracle has displaced Red Hat at Yahoo and numerous other customer sites as their linux support supplier," Ellison said on a conference call after announcing the company's quarterly financial results. (According to a Thomson Financial transcript, Ellison used even bolder terms, saying Oracle "replaced" Red Hat at Yahoo.)
Red Hat and Yahoo both said that Red Hat hasn't been kicked out of the account, though.
"Our current infrastructure leverages both Red Hat and Oracle linux products," Laurie Mann, Yahoo's vice president of engineering, said in a statement. And Red Hat spokeswoman Leigh Day added, "Red Hat and Yahoo continue to enjoy a fruitful relationship."
Oracle didn't respond to requests for comment.
It's no surprise that computing technology companies would be eager to sell to Yahoo, which said it has hundreds of thousands of servers to power its business. And while it's unclear how broadly Yahoo will use Oracle's linux, it is notable that Oracle has secured a high-profile customer, an important milestone.
"We're not going to build the linux business overnight, but we will build it," Ellison said. "We're in the early days of our linux support business, but we're off to a very solid start. Our linux support service is up and running well. Dell, HP (Hewlett-Packard) and CDW (a computer products reseller) are on board to resell Oracle Enterprise linux."
Red Hat said in December it saw no effect of the Oracle linux move in its most recent quarter, and Red Hat Chief Executive Matthew Szulik said he didn't plan to lower prices.
Oracle has been a strong Red Hat partner, investing in the linux seller in 1999 and heavily promoting the operating system. But the two companies have diverged as linux has matured.
