Supply side
- Article 1 of 1
- Enterprise Linux, September 2003
Customer demand is forcing the IT industry to embrace Linux, whether it likes it or not.
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The biggest potential loser in all this is Microsoft. It has already promoted the Finnish upstart to Public Enemy Number Two - second only to a gloomy economy, according to CFO John Connors. Customer interest in Linux has forced Microsoft to make concessions. It has agreed to share the Windows source code with some of its trusted partners, is offering massive discounts to avoid losing large deals, and is even giving away some of its software.
In contrast to operating systems vendors, most application developers have little to lose from Linux's adoption. And with Linux now an almost unstoppable movement, even companies whose products are jeopardised by Linux's success are choosing to include it in their product catalogues.
Many continue to play down Linux's capabilities, however. As Martijn Dekkers, technical architect at services company Computacenter, points out: “Vendors with a stake in the data centre are pushing Linux primarily at the edge. Vendors with an investment in the desktop say it only works in the data centre. They're all trying to push Linux away from where they're trying to play. But I think if you take an objective view of the market, you will see Linux is playing a good game everywhere.”
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