August 27, 2005 12:50PM  |
 Digg It!  Bookmark to del.cio.us |
“Linux use doesn’t go beyond file servers or print servers because the applications aren’t there,” said Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox. Although the number of Linux-compatible applications is growing, Windows still boasts more software offerings.
Tripwire is offering a 64-page book with technical and legal guidance on improving security, compliance, IT operations and IT audit: The Prescriptive Guide to Operational Excellence. Download a free pdf copy of the Guide.
 The decision to use Windows instead of Linux is based more on availability of applications and less on security or cost concerns, according to a new survey by Web hosting company Rackspace.The survey revealed a dichotomy between what the two OS camps believe are the core issues facing corporations and the actual factors involved in choosing Windows or Linux. Rackspace manages more than 13,000 servers, with an approximate 50-50 Linux and Windows split.
Despite the fact that 60 percent of the Windows users surveyed and 92 percent of Linux users surveyed agree Microsoft’s operating systems are less secure, Windows is the fastest-growing segment of servers managed by the firm. Rackspace found that the price of OS licenses is more or less the same with Linux and Microsoft. In the end, however, the company found that Windows ends up costing about 20 percent more because of additional software costs and the need for additional hardware to support the same number of applications. But the survey also found companies willing to trade cost for stability. The survey suggested that Linux stability drops as enterprises add homegrown applications on top of the operating system. Only 50 percent of Windows users surveyed perceive Microsoft to have a lower total cost of ownership (TCO), while 77 percent of surveyed Linux users perceive Linux to have a lower TCO. Customers see overall costs mainly driven by the available pool of developers in addition to a project’s scale and scope.
“The survey reinforces Microsoft’s message to enterprises that Windows is a safe bet,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research. “Linux use doesn’t go beyond file servers or print servers because the applications aren’t there,” agreed Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox. Although the number of Linux-compatible applications is growing, Windows still boasts more software offerings. “The issue with Linux has always been the desktop,” said Gartenberg, indicating that it is the lack of competitive applications that makes Linux “a non-starter on the desktop for all kinds of reasons.” The analyst noted that Linux is encountering the same roadblocks to adoption as earlier alternative operating systems. “IBM’s OS/2 couldn’t succeed because of lack of applications,” said the analyst.
In another unexpected finding, the survey indicated that systems vendors should target their sales pitches at the I.T. department rather than at the executive suite. Just 24 percent of survey respondents said executive managers initiate buying decisions. Instead, according to the survey, developers and I.T. departments are heading up the buying choices. The lesson both Microsoft and Linux supporters should take from the survey results? “Nobody buys an operating system,” said Wilcox. “They buy applications. The operating system is there for the application.” The Rackspace survey polled 1,978 of the company’s largest U.S. customers. Of those responding, 59.5 percent run Linux at Rackspace, while 39.5 percent run a Microsoft system. |
