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Linux Server Sales to Reach $9.1 Billion by 2008
dunric writes "ZDNet is reporting that sales of servers using Linux will reach a whopping $9.1 billion by 2008. Annual revenue for Linux servers is expected to grow by a healthy 22.8 percent, compared to just 3.8 percent for the overall server market. Additionally, Linux servers will account for nearly 26% of all server shipments."
This news is interesting but what would be interesting to see is which markets Linux servers are eating up. People of /. are going to assume "FINALLY THE DOWN FALL OF MICROSOFT!". But the truth of the matter is Linux is probably eating up the markets of AIX, HP-UX, SunOS, Alpha, etc. Look at Sun's stock.... Down over 30% from last year? Even if this statistic is true I don't think Microsoft is probably losing any business but rather our fellow UNIX brothers. Go Linux!?
The last eight Intel servers I installed were all assembled from good quality motherboards, fans and better quality ATX power supplies into run of the mill whitebox full/mid tower cases.
If space is not an issue then I find that taking time to assemble a well laid out PC case delivers better reliability than Intel based 1U or 2U rackmounted servers.
Seriously, saying "Linux Server" to a CEO has one of two effects. One, they glaze over and continue using their familiar "Windows Server". Two, they think you're really smart and give you lots of money. Sure, there's the rare third case where they'll realize "Linux = OS, Server = Hardware", but chances are they're the CIO.
Does this mean I should open a "Servers The Run Linux" eBusiness? Amazonux.com, perhaps?
UTF-8: There and Back Again
Whenever I see words like forecast and prediction buried, I wonder what the motivation of the writer is. I dug around a very little bit and found this link to an IDC ress release that this is based on (I think). IDC - Press Release http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=pr2004_1 1_02_093312
Reading the press release, I could only think to myself "uhm, duh, who couldn't see that coming."
I do wonder how they came up with the time frame though. Four years seems like a long time to predict anything in the IT business with any accuracy.
Who will be able to predict the market in 2008? With spam, viruses and hacker attacks escalating, and Longhorn due to be released... who really knows what the market will be like then?
I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
ZDNET is just another publishing company that generally have b grade IT writers. Just look at the spam software show down. Hangon.. where is spamassassin.. maybe they didnt pay zdnet enough money to advertise thier product so it wasnt included.
Got a question about UNIX ask it here : Unix/xBSD Forum
I have seen Linux displacing other O/S'es for consolidation purposes, and usually Linux itself is not the driving factor.
For example, VMWare/ESX is gaining a lot of market consolidating hundreds of Windows servers (usually test/dev) down to a dozen or so Intel servers running VMWare/ESX, which is Redhat Linux running VMWare. But the Linux side of it is almost invisible. I have spoken to VMWare administrators who refused to believe that it was running on Linux.
Also, I've seen large Oracle databases moved from Sun or HP hardware, to IBM Intel servers running Oracle RAC on Redhat. In that case, Oracle and Intel platform are the driving factors. Again, the Linux is packaged sepecfically to run Oracle RAC, so server administration is minimal.
My point is that, in my somewhat limited experience, people are not purposely moving to Linux, it's more that vendors are packaging their products that way, and it makes sense in many cases.
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ZDNet is reporting that sales of servers using Linux will reach a whopping $9.1 billion by 2008...
Considering Linux (and OSS in general) makes money via support offerings, shouldnt this be added to the overall $$$ amount ? Does 9.1. billion include support charges or simply the cost of hardware ?
Another thing I routinely keep hearing about is that hardware is going to keep become VERY cheap (as a matter of fact there were some articles suggesting it might even become free in the long term). If one cant sell hardware, and cant sell the OS, where the hell does 9.1 billion come from ? "Voluntary donation" ??