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Windows Beat Unix, But it Won't Beat Linux

Posted by Zonk on from the we-can-rebuild-you-we-have-the-technology dept.

Onymous Hero writes "The amazing thing isn't that Windows beat the pants off Unix; it's that so many of the Unix companies survived until today. An article from eWeek looks at why Linux has been so successful where Unix failed." From the article: "While the Unix companies were busy ripping each other to shreds, Microsoft was smiling all the way to the bank. Because the Unix businesses couldn't settle on software development standards, ISVs (independent software vendors) had to write not a single application to get the whole Unix market, they had to write up to a half-dozen different versions. Which would you rather do? Write a single application that would run on all Windows systems, or six different ones, each with its own unique quality assurance and support problems? "

3 of 424 comments (clear)

  1. Linux wins because the OS isn't as important... by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Interesting


    Back when Unix ruled the world you programmed in C at the OS level, you had to understand about pipes and processors and threads and lots of other elements of the OS. This meant it was a pain to re-learn across all the other platforms.

    Now there are (for enterprises) only two real choices, Java and .NET. Java in paticular abstracts the operating system questions away so it becomes irrelevant what OS is running it just needs to run Java fast and cheap, so using lots of small boxes tends to be the way to go. Similar things can be said about Python, Ruby et al but large enterprises use them less.

    Linux is winning in large enterprises because its the cheapest, and safest, way to run Oracle RAC and J2EE Application Servers. If you really don't care about the OS (and most of the time you don't) then you might as well pick Linux.

    If programming was still at the OS level then IMO Linux would still struggle as you'd have to understand a lot more about it. J2EE in paticular has made hardware a commodity, and in the commodity world Linux is the best choice.

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  2. Maybe I'm wrong by hackstraw · · Score: 4, Interesting

    but:

    Write a single application that would run on all Windows systems, or six different ones, each with its own unique quality assurance and support problems?

    Seems a little bit oversimplified. I'm not directly affected because I don't use Microsoft software, but I've heard where I work that it takes months to verify if every service pack for Windows will work with existing software. And when I was a Windows developer, we were doing some pretty low level stuff with the authentication subystem, and things were very different between Win 98, 2000, and NT 4 (was that really still around then?). Granted, for a simple GUI app, Windows is very portable across its products, but if you get a little lower into the OS, things get nasty quick.

  3. The Art of UNIX programming by Kat0325 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For related 'extra' information... Chapter 2 in the Art of Unix Programming (Eric S. Raymond) contains a very interesting discourse about the history of the UNIX operating system, and offers insight into operating system wars in general.

    One of his points is that many early UNIXes suffered because of licensing issues. I definitely feel that Linux's edge over older UNIXes is its open source license.