LinuxIT News

Microsoft has announced that Linux is a threat to its Windows business. LinuxIT, and anyone in the Linux world for that matter, would doubtless agree with this admission; but those more cynical observers amongst us must ask, “why now?”

In its annual Form 10-K report for the fiscal year ended 30 June, Microsoft made the following comments in relation to its server and client operating systems:

“Our server operating system products face intense competition from a wide variety of server operating systems and server applications. The competitive position of Linux has also benefited from the large number of compatible applications now produced by many leading commercial and non-commercial software developers. A number of companies supply versions of Linux, including Novell and Red Hat.

The Linux operating system has gained acceptance, as competitive pressures lead OEMs to reduce costs and new, lower-price PC form-factors gain adoption. Partners such as Hewlett-Packard and Intel have been actively working with alternative Linux-based operating systems.”

Whilst we would certainly agree with the reasons put forward here and can testify to the effect hard economic times has had, accelerating the adoption of Linux, we are not convinced that Linux has just appeared on Microsoft’s radar.

In line with IDC survey result earlier this year in which 65% of IT Managers said they plan to increase Linux server workloads by 10% or more this year, LinuxIT has been inundated with projects to migrate and consolidate legacy platforms to Linux and deliver Linux support. Of course, this is great news for the Linux world and as a direct consequence LinuxIT has seen rapid expansion to exploit these new opportunities; but that is not to say that Linux has just become competitive to Microsoft.

Some community voices posit this statement as a cynical effort by Microsoft to prove they are no longer have monopoly power. They claim this is a deliberate ploy to detract from their monopolistic tactics in preventing other operating systems from getting a foothold in the OEM business.

Either way, the truth remains; more and more organizations want to capitalize on the lower total cost of ownership, greater flexibility, security and improved performance associated with Linux; and that can’t be good news for Microsoft.

Simon James