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UnitedLinux Tuesday said IBM and AMD have, in effect, joined the consortium responsible for developing the enterprise-class operating system.

IBM and AMD have become the first companies to be named as Technology Partners, giving them responsibilities including participation in the UnitedLinux Technical Advisory Board and its committees, pre-release access to UnitedLinux deliverables, the right to propose enhancements for consideration by the UnitedLinux Technical Steering Committee and joint marketing activities.

About the only thing IBM and AMD won't be able to do is distribute future versions via reseller and/or OEM arrangements. "That's one of the differences between partnering and membership," explained a UnitedLinux spokeswoman.

In addition, Technology Partner status calls for a higher financial commitment but not as much as full-blown members. Financial details weren't disclosed.

The agreement builds upon UnitedLinux's existing relationship with the two tech heavyweights, which was formalized when the group unveiled UnitedLinux Version 1.0 around the time of Comdex last November.

"In joining forces with Linux industry leaders, we are making great strides toward our goal of the widespread proliferation of Linux in the enterprise," said Paula Hunter, general manager of UnitedLinux.

Founding companies of UnitedLinux are Linux industry leaders Conectiva, SCO Group, SuSE Linux, and Turbolinux.