By Joey Gardiner, 13 March 2002 08:30
NEWS Linux has overtaken Novell's Netware operating system to be the second-most popular OS shipped on Intel servers, according to the latest research. The news is a big step for the open source operating system (OS) which has been quickly gaining acceptance among enterprise users. The latest worldwide quarterly figures from IDC show Linux still lagging a long way behind Microsoft, but pipping Novell to the second place spot for the first time in the technology's history. Thomas Meyer, manager for the European server group at IDC, said: "This is a significant milestone for Linux. It has been driven by the kinds of jobs businesses are looking to do now - such as web serving, which fits Linux's strengths completely. "This has at once been demanded by the market, and also pushed by the vendors, ever since IBM threw its weight behind the OS two years ago." For the last three months of 2001, IDC found Windows had over two-thirds of the market for Intel-based servers. Of the remainder, Linux accounted for 13 per cent, beating Netware into third place with 12 per cent. Other operating systems and Unix accounted for the rest. Regarded as a hobbyist's operating system and largely confined to academia until recently, the rise of Linux has been inexorable since the late 1990s, with IBM crucially joining the party in January 2000. Eddie Bleasdale, director of open source consultancy NetProject, wasn't surprised by the news. "The rise of Linux is a tidal wave, nothing is going to stop it," he said. However, IDC's Meyer struck a more cautious note, saying Linux was still not regarded as ready for all uses by businesses. "Unless Linux gets better it is going to be hard for it to increase its market share much further, particularly in an economic climate where companies are being cautious about rolling out new infrastructure," he warned.
In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.
Log in or create your silicon.com account below