Red Hat’s high-end version of Linux has received a certification that clears the way for broader use of the operating system in government. Red Hat’s Advanced Server version received the Defense Department’s Common Operating Environment (COE)certification running on an Intel-based IBM server, the first version of Linux to pass the milestone. Red Hat is trying to coax customers to move as quickly as possible from its less-expensive products to the better-supported Advanced Server version. The COE effort began in 1993 as a way to build specific features and interface characteristics into several different operating systems. The initiative makes it easier to get military software running on the wide variety of computer systems in use today and to train people to use the systems. Full Story