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Linux Sales Down, But...

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the who-pays-for-a-distro-anyway dept.

An anonymous reader writes " News.com has a story about combined Linux revenues reaching $80 million for 2001. "The Linux operating system market, from a revenue perspective, accounts for one half of 1 percent of the total operating system revenue each year, or roughly two days' worth of Microsoft's operating system revenue," [IDC Analyst] Gillen said. "On the second day of January, Microsoft had generated more operating system revenue than the Linux community (will for the entire year).""

7 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. But... by kraf · · Score: 3, Interesting

    are they happy ?

    1. Re:But... by Dark+Paladin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, I believe this to be a valid question.

      Are the people who use Windows in their business happy? Happy to have increased licensing costs for a "yearly" subscription? Happy to have an operating system with security holes the size of my Aunt Lilly's ass? Happy that Microsoft is about to release the details of API's - but you can only use some of them if you "license" their use?

      We're so happy at my Day Job that we're pretty much converting everything over to Novell or Linux, we're installing OpenOffice (except where we *must* have MS Office), and I'm still trying ton convince people that really, OS X is a great desktop system for the business. Oh yeah, happy are we with Windows.

      --
      52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
  2. Why is Worth = Sales? by anshil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's the very same thing as moby said recently, he questioned why the worth of music is measured by the amount of sales. I agree with him that the music that really matters and defines our culture is not the charts.

    Same for the operating system, what is it worth for humanity and our social system? How much of our resources we would have needed to spent (to microsoft) if it wouldn't be there? What money would the companies miss that use linux?

    And note again becase it's free does not mean it costs anybody a job or is evil. After all not a single job should be just a occupational therapy.
    (thats where the anti GPL comments fail, or where the adversaries miss the global sight. A job should be good for something, if we can save the work then better leave it, and leave us all more freetime, spent the time on the beach, etc.

    --

    --
    Karma 50, and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt.
  3. Different perspective by teetam · · Score: 5, Interesting
    When someone compares MS Windows and Linux, it should be a comparison of how many PCs have windows as OS and how many have Linux as the OS.

    It doesn't make any sense to compare the "revenues" of a priced product and a free product.

    What next? A startling revelation that people all over America are paying for HBO and Cinemax, but many are getting local networks like NBC, ABC and Fox for FREE?

    --
    All your favorite sites in one place!
  4. Upgrade extortion non-existent in Linux by dnoyeb · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Its not that Linux is free. Its more that the Microsoft flogging model of required and forced upgrades fails miserably in Linux. Anyone that successfully installs Linux and uses it for a short while will
    A. Not need to upgrade in a long time.
    B. Realize how to upgrade for free.

    [political rant mode on]
    "While experts still can assemble the required Linux components for free and create the same package that companies sell, customers will be leery of using that sort of customized software, Gillen said. "

    I like how people feel no shame in telling what customers WILL do.

    Reports like this are very usefull as an indication of what the news organization that reports them's position is. This tells me that news.com is a BigSoftware mouthpiece.
    [/political rant mode on]

  5. Sales up revenues down by Jason+Earl · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The good news is that sales are up, especially for "client" computers.

    The real danger to Microsoft isn't Linux's ability to generate profits, the real danger is Linux's ability to commoditize software. Eventually Microsoft's customers are going to learn that they can get more for less.

  6. Comparing Revenue? by Shagg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "The Linux operating system market, from a revenue perspective, accounts for one half of 1 percent of the total operating system revenue each year"
    "On the second day of January, Microsoft had generated more operating system revenue than the Linux community (will for the entire year)."

    You're kidding!

    You mean that Linux, which is free, generates less revenue than a commercial OS, which costs money? Wow, how long did these guys spend figuring this one out?

    --
    Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.