Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Mon 26th May 2003 23:36 UTC
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.
Permalink for comment
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Recent Original Stories
Recent Comments
Headlines
Random Comments
Random Stories
Random OS Link
The article raises the question of whether Linux will be just a blip. I think not.
The Unix companies out there offer their own flavor on own hardware trying to dominate but going nowhere. No customer wants to get locked - especially in these times.
Linux is the standard that will rise from the ashes because it runs on a standard - i386. Also Windows runs on i386. And there are 2 suppliers of i386 - Intel and AMD - to keep prices down. The latter heavily backed by IBM. Strange that none of the big asian companies have started a 3rd incarnation yet.
The key in the movement is not Linus. If not him then someone else would have started Unix on i386. The key is the GPL by Stallman. That's what's keeping it together.
What happens when Linus does not want to manage it anymore (allthough a successor already has been appointed)? When it grows so big that it is serious business? Will open source developers around the globe then be commiting changes to IBM as maintainer? Who's version will the customer pick - the one maintained by IBM or kernel.org?