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For years, Linux has been the operating system of the future. In 2002, for many Linux adherents, the future is a lot closer. Linux has grown beyond the server room and hackers' chat groups to take its place in the product lines of some giant computer companies. IBM, for example, sees Linux as the cornerstone of 'grid computing', which links all the computers in an organization into one mighty calculating force, directing the workload to where it can be most efficiently managed. The reasoning behind IBM's choice is simple: if grid computing is to appeal to a wide range of multinational customers, only an open source system like Linux is elastic and affordable enough to link all the platforms and applications that must be aggregated.
IBM has been in the Linux business for almost two years, and now Hewlett-Packard is following that lead announcing that its 'pay as you go' applications will be available to Linux customers as well as Windows and Unix users. Going even further, supporting the Linux infrastructure, HP has announced it is adding migration and porting services for Linux as well as its existing telecom and security applications.
Dell Computer and Cray Research are teaming up to offer Linux business users the ability to make supercomputing 'clusters' that previously were only available to mainframe users.
Embedding the open source software even deeper into corporations, SAP endorses Linux kernels for its MySAP ERP program, demonstrating confidence in Linux's stability for large multi-user environments. Corporations like the fact that Unix tools can easily be ported to Linux. They are no longer captive to their hardware vendor for software upgrades.
But success at the 'back end' does not mean Linux is slipping at the 'front' or server end, because International Data Corp. estimates 2002 will see the Linux share of Intel server installations increase to 32 per cent from 27 per cent in 2001.
However, Linux still faces a real struggle for market share at the level of the average user. In a world where many people are still trying to master the relatively simple changes from Windows 95 to Windows 98, or the differences between Office 2000 and Office XP, asking them to adapt to Linux distributions may be asking too much. The hidden costs of a low-cost or no-cost operating system suddenly become much more visible if users cannot transfer files or make simple changes to their email programs.
The technical people who support these unsophisticated users have their own challenges to face in the Linux environment. They can count on manufacturers and developers providing driver support for Windows but for many Linux will be an afterthought at best. They will probably always be able to get standard peripherals to work in Linux but lacking the user-friendly features that are available in Windows versions.
It is ironic that in corporate computing, the energy and flair of Linux developers has had much more impact on 'invisible' areas like server applications than it has on the ordinary users' desktop. But as Linux applications appear in more and more functional areas, it is inevitable that creative minds will turn to word-processing, email, spreadsheets and presentation software, the programs that most people use in their daily work.
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However, Linux still faces a real struggle for market share at the level of the average user. In a world where many people are still trying to master the relatively simple changes from Windows 95 to Windows 98, or the differences between Office 2000 and Office XP, asking them to adapt to Linux distributions may be asking too much.
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