In the server OS market, Microsoft is dominant, and it wants to stay that way. With the coming release of Microsoft Windows .NET Server 2003, an upgrade from Windows 2000 Server, the company feels it can keep the competition comfortably behind. Read the article at PCMagazine.
Is .NET the Right Bet?
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Microsoft is far from dominant in the server market. It hardly compares to the hold it has on the desktop market. Really… FUD.
I agree with Charlie. I think Eugenia, you should check after copying-pasting a statement directly from an article, like “PCMagazine claims that …”. Probably an early morning or late night glich
Here are some real statistics:
Developer November2002 Percent December2002 Percent Change
——— ———— ——- ———— ——- ——
Apache 21699320 60.80 22045350 62.02 1.22
Microsoft 10239423 28.69 9803639 27.58 -1.11
Zeus 775916 2.17 752436 2.12 -0.05
SunONE 488094 1.37 481232 1.35 -0.02
Source: http://www.netcraft.com/survey/
Hope variable fonts wont screw up the table (possibly will)
Unless most of Apache servers are deployed on MS Windows (I highly doubt it), that clearly shows the leader is *nix.
That article is about if .NET server is a nice bet. It is not about if .NET is a right bet. Come on people, .NET is a bunch of everything put under an idiotic name, but lets not at least mix with .NET and .NET server.
Netcraft survey is poll from http request! not physical server. So i can put 2000 sites on one *nix machine but it doesnt mean we have 2000 physical machines.
Before saying *nix or M$ dominate the server market we need to find report base on mac address and we will probably get the right number.
Read the netcraft mechanics here:
http://www.netcraft.com/Survey/mechanics.html
Actually they did a survey based on IP address (so eliminating problems with domain hosters etc) and found that the market had been stable for a very long time, with apache comfortably dominating the market and MS with about 30% behind. the graph lines were absolutely flat.
I think when the article says Windows is a dominant server OS they mean in terms of server sales, ie if you buy a dedicated server it’ll have Windows on. That doesn’t really apply to Linux as people rarely need to buy dedicated servers so it’s not a good way of measuring it, but it’s the only real statistic they have to go on.
A pretty fair review I think, if a tad predictable. Clearly the idea that MS support is cheaper is still around: MSCE vs a decent Linux admin is no competition apparently.
The review of the Linux desktop was a tad short, and inaccurate in places, but it was a server OS review after all.
It’s interesting that MS are taking some of the better ideas from Linux and putting them into .NET Server (IIS using xml for configuration, better command line). I have a feeling IIS will soon overtake Apache in reality. While they spent years making Apache nice and portable, IIS was sprouting features. Although it’s not exactly easy to use, per se, with the new metabase it seems that GUI users get a nice GUI and command liners can edit the text files themselves (I doubt they ship a competent command line editor however).
Apache really, really should have a decent configuration GUI by now, but it doesn’t. The closest I’ve seen is the one that ships in RedHat 8 which is a good start, but hardly complete.
Hi Mike and All,
While they spent years making Apache nice and portable, IIS was sprouting features.
That’s the exact problem with MS, they just keep on adding features which are not properly tested, secured and used by everyone. Not just IIS, Word 2.0 would have been the best Word version if it had just spell checking, now look at Office XP; bloated beyond belief. I admit Apache is not completely trouble free (and feature-poor), but as you said they spend years making Apache nice and portable (and more secure, I might add).
PS: I’m a recent reader, so go easy on me
PPS: Wonderful site, went straight to my Personal Toolbar. Thanks Eugenia, and everyone involved.
– Serkan
“A pretty fair review I think, if a tad predictable. Clearly the idea that MS support is cheaper is still around: MSCE vs a decent Linux admin is no competition apparently.”
Sorry but imho a Linux/Unix admin is cheaper in the long term!
We are much productive then a Win admin in 90% of the cases.
I can maintain 2 times more servers then my counter colleagues ! win admins should learn to script in win scripting host, and not only being teached using GUI’s! I use no GUI’s but only cli scripts.
And a side note being a MSCE doesn’t mean shit, i have seen MANY mscer’s which can study good, but with the hands they are worthless. If a programms act the other way they learned they DON’T know how to solve the problems the most time.
PS. Ofcourse there are exceptions
Actually, it has the highest amount of market share among its competitors. UNIX can be more dominant if it is in anyway more “united”. For example, try running a Solaris app on AIX. Or take a HP-UX user and expect him to manage a IRIX network without giving him any chance to get used to it.
Windows NT is still “dominant”. Not a monopoly, but dominant does not always mean monopoly.
Yet, Microsoft are making the same mistakes.
GDI still in Ring 0, too much emphasis put on the GUI. It is a server operating system for christsake. It is being maintained by, hopefully, trained people who actually have a clue on how to administrate a server, so why put so much emphasis on the GUI? you know why? its the only bloody thing Microsoft can semi-do-right. As for everything else, same crap, new name. Same poor foundation with poorly written buzzword compliant pack of technology riding ontop. As for the API, Win32, it is looking worse as time wears on. It is almost becoming a personal joke in most developers quarters.
Most developers I KNOW, if they had the choice, would not write for Windows. They only reason why the do is because there is a customer base. If everyone moved to FreeBSD or Linux tomorrow, the developers I know would be over the moon in not having to handle the win32 api for another day longer.
Windows.NET, same operating system built on a foundation of UNIX hatred, poor design and false promises. 10years later, people are now seeing the king has no clothes and that promising will not make the server work. The server should work TODAY, not in the fictional “future” when apparently “the issue will be corrected”.
I notice you guys brought up Apache. Yes, it market share have been relatively stable. But using Apache doesn’t mean using UNIX. All, except one, of the sites I use regulary that happen to use Windows NT/2k uses Apache (the one, BTW is http://www.thestar.com.my).
There is a version of Apache for Windows NT. And it works just as fine as it does on Linux.
Also, Netcraft takes into account servers exposed to the internet. I’m a contractor so I go to a lot of companies and a great majority of them run Windows servers on their intranet; even companies that are otherwise *nix shops; so I never take Netcraft statistics seriously. They’re just there for all the Linux zealots to have ammunition in the “my OS is better than yours” wars. Plus, as rajan said, Apache does run well on Windows.
I’ve used Windows 2000 Advanced Server, but it hasn’t got many features for a server OS. It even fits on ONE cd!
Will dotNET have more features or will it still be behind? Will it be shipped on a dvd?
If you read the article you will realise that Netcraft statistics are meaningless in this instance. It is about servers internal to organisations and there are no real statistics available to compare there.
With the scripting I hope Microsoft thought long and hard before they implemented it. It adds another level of security issues to handle. Unix has had a long time to mature in this area.
“I’ve used Windows 2000 Advanced Server, but it hasn’t got many features for a server OS. It even fits on ONE cd!
Will dotNET have more features or will it still be behind? Will it be shipped on a dvd?”
That was the best ironic comment I’ve read this year. I’ll remember that one.
Z_god:
So you are saying that Routing, web serving (FTP and the like), audio/video serving, file serving, Terminal Services, DNS, Active Directory, DHCP, WINS, and much more is not enough?
Win.NET Server adds in IM serving, basic pop accounts, basic firewalling (not the same thing that is put into XP), a much enhanced IIS and Windows Media Server, and many many many other things.
Oh, but you are probably some little teeny who has a pirated copy and now thinks he/she is l33t because you have Win2k AdvSrv, and since you do have it, you now know all about the product… does that about cover it?
Actually, the statement made in the article is correct. More servers are running Windows than any other OS.
What this doesn’t take into account, however, is that a Pentium IV running Windows 2000 is given the same weight as as a Sunfire E15K, which of course, can do many times more work than a single Win2000 server.
Yes, there are more servers running Windows than any other OS. But of course, how many Windows servers does it require to do the work of a single E15K? I would guess at least 30 or 40.
I know no one reads my messages (not even me) but as pointed out…SERVERDOES NOT ONLY MEAN WEB SERVER. Why do people think the world is only web sites??? Prior to setting up my own biz I worked in the so-called real world moving paper around. Every office, except one, I worked in had windows on the desktop and windows file servers…way way way back one had Macs on the desktop and as file/print server.
Offices use servers for things other than web sites. Grow up!
Windows is not dominant in the web serving arena but go look into offices and you’ll see a lot of servers running Windows. Quite possibly dominant – no monopoly though – not even close.
Windows certificates are meaningless and so are Linux certificates. Solid experience is what counts. The more popular Linux gets and the more needed Linux admins are then you’ll start to see losers getting Linux certificates as well and acting as admins. Linux has the luxury of still having a majority (I assume) of its admins being individuals who actually had to learn things the old fashioned way. Soon enough they will get mediocre admins as well so don’t laugh yet. Quality control is not in the hands of the community.
Anyway, the point was that Linux support is more expensive because it is a rarer commodity…shortage of supply of qualified admins. Baby arguments like “Linux is cheaper because, well, like in my case…” — don’t hold water. One data point is useless and the world is made up more of mediocrity. Linux will get its share.
If you compare the number of features of 2k advanced server to a Linux distro it’s pretty behind.
It is shipped with only one app of every thing, one webserver, one ftpserver… When you’re already paying about $5000, why not include a couple of webservers? Why not both IIS and Apache? A Linux distro often comes with 3 or 4 apps that are all webservers for example.
It also doesn’t come with stuff like an irc server. I didn’t see any proxy functionality either. SSH? Also Windows really sucks when it comes to internet connection sharing.
If you want extra features such as an irc server, you’ll have to download extra programs yourself and install them yourself.
M$ won’t keep up with security updates for these programs. Linux distros often have an installer that allows you to install and update ‘extra’ programs very quickly.
” A Linux distro often comes with 3 or 4 apps that are all webservers
for example.”
Does it matter? For one, a Windows user can go download Apache just as easy as a Linux user can.
Sure Apache usually ships with Linux distributions, but by the time the Linux distro ships, the version of Apache included on the CD is usually outdated anyway, so one is usually better off downloading the most recent version anyway.
Personally, I think the 6 or 7 CD Linux distros that come with a ton of applications aren’t very useful because by the time you get the Linux distro, many of the applications are outdated. It’s usually better to download the latest versions anyway.
Forgive me for a possible stupid question; I don’t know a lot about servers. If the Netcraft survey polls via http, does this mean they are only taking into consideration WEB servers?
If so, would it be correct to asuume that all the file, print, application, database, etc… severs out there not connected to the Internet are not being taken into consideration?
Thanks in advance for helping the ignorant…
IIRC, no one here said that servers is only web servers. But just used its marketshare to show Microsoft so-called lack of dominance.
Windows, is the number one used server OS ,Overall except in web servers. I have seen shops with all *.nix and shops with all Windows and some that where Mixed.
Linux and Windows Both have many fine points, aand more and more entities are moving to *nix , for many reasons not just because its low cost or free. you dont base a BIZ on something that can not run your biz well and have the ability to scale.
who knows what the future will hold, I for one think that linux will get more and more into the computer share,(it will never overtake MS) antil a balance of sorts is reached at some medium of 60 -40 or something(who knows?)
.NET is a great technology, but Linux as its own web services technologys also… so who knows.
Nex6