Star UNIX's True Competition: Linux?
Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Mon 26th May 2003 23:36 UTC
General Unix Linux only has a small percentage of the computing market, however Microsoft already considers it a major competition as the open source OS steals the hearts of many users. Following the hard numbers though, Microsoft also increases its market share on both server and desktop space with time. The only logical explanation is that Linux steals quite a market share from the traditional UNIX providers (SCO, Sun, SGI, HP, IBM). But only Sun seems to truly be in a real Linux trouble, as it is the one with a resistance to Linux integration to its full product range.
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Unix's true competition isn't Linux in itself
by Mark on Tue 27th May 2003 01:15 UTC

I've read Eugenia's article and think it deals with a lot of different aspects.
1) Linux is portrayed not as the only alternative to proprietary Unices but as the standard bearer of Open Source. That "Linux hype" is a media creation. I guess most IT reporters know about other free *nix.
2) Open Source software stresses out the intrinsic weakness of IBM, Sun,... : these corporations have developed quite an expertise throughout the years. But, when it comes to their workforce, they are no match to the number of volunteers available to Linux or *BSD : these coders strive to freely improve every single aspect of their preferred OS.
3) As a consequence of the second aspect, businesses take a look at free software because it is cheap and is maturing fast.
4) Why should businesses still believe that only proprietary vendors can meet their expectations when there is ample proof of the contrary (Yahoo running on FreeBSD, NASA using NetBSD, financial corporations using Linux, etc.) ?
5) Free software make good use of old hardware, particularly the x86 platform. This is another way Unix vendors have goofed : they put the emphasis on corporations while Intel and AMD were busy catering to countless home users. HP and SGI are so tired of their own CPUs that they have become Itanium resellers. Sun produces computers which run without interruption for days but are relegated to the workstation and server market.
6) Interoperability is not related to the use of a single OS like Linux. It is guaranteed by the ability for an OS to follow specifications and standards which are available to everyone. After all, I can use a *BSD as an AppleTalk or Samba server as well as I would with Linux.
7) Apple is also a Unix vendor, yet its existence isn't threatened by Open Source software. Too bad it has a market share of less than 10 %.

Of course, I may be completely wrong.