Linux uptake is stalled

[LeadMagnet]

Article

London (ON) - Not too long ago, Linux was believed to have the potential of challenging and even replacing the Windows operating environment on computers virtually everywhere. A new study found that the advance of Linux has stalled in the high-volume market segment of mid-sized firms.

The results of the survey published by Info-Tech Research Group are sobering for the Linux community and could have far-reaching effects on Linux companies targeting mid-sized corporations with their products.

According to the data, only ten percent of the 1400 companies in the US, Canada and the UK which took part in the study, consider to evaluate Linux within the next three years. Five percent of respondents plan to evaluate the open source operating system within one year. Of the companies who did not already have Linux installed, 48 percent "have no interest whatsoever" in the software and a further 15 percent are "not sure".

"Just 27 percent of mid-sized companies currently have Linux installed and almost half of the respondents said they have no interest in Linux. The Linux advance into this market has stalled," said Frank Koelsch, executive vice president of Info-Tech Research Group. "Microsoft still dominates this market and is the clear leader for mid-sized companies."

According to the analyst, Linux initially promised to be a "viable alternative" to Microsoft, especially because it is free. "But business reality is setting in," said Koelsch. "Linux was initially hot, but interest has substantially declined. Companies are past the hype and taking a much more cautious approach towards Linux."

According to the analyst, Linux now is subject to business decisions especially in mid-sized firms, which Info-Tech defines as corporations with revenues of less than $1 billion. These decisions for example include scrutiny of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a technology: "Yes, Linux is 'free'. But firms understand that there is substantial indirect cost involved. For example, organizations have to buy support and deal with the cost of implementing a second OS environment, which causes problems in firms that have smaller IT staffs and face cost pressure."

While the hype is largely gone, Koelsch believes that Linux still is viewed as a more secure operating system - a perception that helped Linux significantly to gain popularity over recent years. However, security now "is just one of many aspects considered" by corporations for or against a software purchase.

Koelsch was careful to crown Microsoft as the final OS winner in mid-sized organizations. However, he said Microsoft "is heavily entrenched" in this area and it "will be very hard to replace Microsoft in this segment." In contrast, the market opportunity for Linux currently looked "very small". Koelsch does not believe this scenario to change within the next 12 to 36 months.

Little interest in Linux also affects Linux companies who try to sell their products into this market. "Manufacturers should look to provide specialty applications or to completely different segments with higher interest in Linux," Koelsch said.

Article


Cliff notes: Mid-sized companies not interested in Linux

 

[T3C]

cool

 

[nakedfrog]

Score one for MS FUD.

 

[StageLeft]

Of course those of us who work in IT have known this for years. Of all of the clients I've worked with not a single one has a lick of care for linux. They know that microsoft has accountability, incredible support, and a proven platform.

 

[smc13]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Of course those of us who work in IT have known this for years. Of all of the clients I've worked with not a single one has a lick of care for linux. They know that microsoft has accountability, incredible support, and a proven platform.

Funny, I am a unix/linux systems administrator. Not one of the companies I have worked for has been interested in Microsoft as a server platform because it isn't reliable. You do realize the reason none of your clients you have worked for is interested linux is because you are a windows guy and have only worked for windows shops and the reason none of the companies I have worked for are interested in windows is because I am a unix/linux guy so the companies I have worked for are unix/linux companies.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: smc13

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Of course those of us who work in IT have known this for years. Of all of the clients I've worked with not a single one has a lick of care for linux. They know that microsoft has accountability, incredible support, and a proven platform.

Funny, I am a unix/linux systems administrator. Not one of the companies I have worked for has been interested in Microsoft as a server platform because it isn't reliable. You do realize the reason none of your clients you have worked for is interested linux is because you are a windows guy and have only worked for windows shops and the reason none of the companies I have worked for are interested in windows is because I am a unix/linux guy so the companies I have worked for are unix/linux companies.

And an overwelming majority of shops are Windows shops.

 

[LeadMagnet]

I think that 1400 companies participated in the study address that

 

[cronos]

Originally posted by: smc13

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Of course those of us who work in IT have known this for years. Of all of the clients I've worked with not a single one has a lick of care for linux. They know that microsoft has accountability, incredible support, and a proven platform.

Funny, I am a unix/linux systems administrator. Not one of the companies I have worked for has been interested in Microsoft as a server platform because it isn't reliable. You do realize the reason none of your clients you have worked for is interested linux is because you are a windows guy and have only worked for windows shops and the reason none of the companies I have worked for are interested in windows is because I am a unix/linux guy so the companies I have worked for are unix/linux companies.

good point, but i'm actually with Skoorb on this (in terms of my experience). the article was talking about linux specifically and not *nix in general. if a company is interested in a *nix solution they would probably use some other flavor of *nix instead of linux for a server platform.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: smc13

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Of course those of us who work in IT have known this for years. Of all of the clients I've worked with not a single one has a lick of care for linux. They know that microsoft has accountability, incredible support, and a proven platform.

Funny, I am a unix/linux systems administrator. Not one of the companies I have worked for has been interested in Microsoft as a server platform because it isn't reliable. You do realize the reason none of your clients you have worked for is interested linux is because you are a windows guy and have only worked for windows shops and the reason none of the companies I have worked for are interested in windows is because I am a unix/linux guy so the companies I have worked for are unix/linux companies.

Yes, obviously we're working with different companies, but there is far more MS activity than Linux, as noted by this article.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Of course those of us who work in IT have known this for years. Of all of the clients I've worked with not a single one has a lick of care for linux. They know that microsoft has accountability, incredible support, and a proven platform.

No doubt. Linux may be free, but the average person knows less about the workings of linux, which means that users would have to adjust to the quirks of new OS, which would slow productivity. Aside from that, why would anyone spend money on paying someone to install a cusom version of linux then pay someone to re-write their software for linux just so they get the free OS? Windows is just way to easy for businesses to use, especially in terms of compatibility.

 

[FoBoT]

it depends on who answered the survey, middle management? upper management? upper IT management? technical people?

 

[LeadMagnet]

I work with alot of midsize to Fortune 1000+ companies. All of them have Windows on the desktop & laptops for the end users. For small servers Windows, medium size Unix, largest servers use MVS.


Linux is making inroads slowly but most of the time it's being used to replace low to mid range Unix boxes. Thats why you see IBM and Sun selling Lunix now, but that now means that companies could buy the same power box and OS from Dell which is kicking everyone's butt.