Here’s my take on the Microsoft / Linux battle. I know that Linux is a long way from replacing Windows on the desktop. Even I, as a novice but avid user of Linux, still use Windows 2000 as my desktop OS; I will continue to do so until Linux becomes versatile enough to support all the apps that I require on a daily basis.
That having been said, I do believe that Linux is ready to replace most if not all Windows servers in business and e-commerce environments. At my company, we are in the process of deploying a few Red Hat servers, and so far, have proven to be far more stable and efficient than our Win2K machines. We’ll be saving a fortune on CALs, and we hope to increase our uptime to four nines or better. In short, fewer reboots, more efficient services, and the cost factor have made Linux an excellent alternative to Windows in the server room.
With that in mind, I honestly believe that Microsoft is going to take a huge hit in the server market in the next 18 to 24 months. I think we’ll see MCSEs becoming RHCEs, and VB developers retraining for C/C++. Microsoft, fearing that they will lose market share in the desktop arena as well, will make efforts to work with (or at least coexist) Linux boxes.
The point? At least for now, Windows will continue to rule the desktop and will shortly be overtaken by Linux in the server room. A partnership? Hardly. But, the two operating environments do have the ability to work together efficiently, and in the end we will all benefit.
