Cisco Romancing Linux Developers

Networking giant Cisco is gearing up to expand its Linux platform with a bunch of new hardware. But it won't be a success without developers to build more applications for the platform, so a little romancing is in order.

Cisco is asking developers to instead think "inside the box" to create applications that will run on the Linux based Cisco AXP module. It's tossing in $100,000 in prize money just to keep it interesting.

Linux Application availability alone isn't the only thing Cisco is after. It's making sure the developer ecosystem has a revenue model that will keep Cisco and developers in the black.

"The model that we're looking for is something that results in a win-win situation for Cisco, partners and customers as well," Shashi Kiran, senior manager of network systems told InternetNews.com. "As a product we've been handholding applications that come on the AXP purely because there are support issues involved. It's very easy to get applications on the AXP," he said. But the hardening aspects of the platform, as well as making it deployable in customer networks are two key areas where Cisco wants more accountability, he added.