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Linux To Ring Up $35B By 2008
Posted by
michael
on Sun Dec 19, 2004 07:20 PM
from the money-in-the-bank dept.
from the money-in-the-bank dept.
al@opensourcebrowser.com pastes "For a theoretically free operating system, Linux is -- and will continue to be -- a cash cow, a research firm said Wednesday as it predicted the OS will bring in more than $35 billion in revenues by 2008. Framingham, Mass.-based IDC said that overall revenue for servers, desktops, and packaged software running on Linux will reach $35.7 billion in the next four years."
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I write OSS for Linux (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I write OSS for Linux (Score:3, Informative)
You need to go get your product into wide use now. On one project [citadel.org] I'm involved with, we're working with a certain .com on a project I can't say much about yet, but we're going to give a certain Microsoft product a run for their money, using open source software. I don't expect any of us to see money from the project for at least two years, though you can bet you'll see the product -- when it's ready -- on the front page of slashdot. :)
In the meantime, keep maintaining your soft
Re:I write OSS for Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:I write OSS for Linux (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't know who is getting all of this "Linux money", but it certainly isn't affecting the projects I care about. I'm not saying that developers should be jealous of these companies that have taken their products and made money with them. After all, that's part of the freedom that has been given to them. But it is depressing that not much of this money goes back to the community. I don't say this because the developers should be rewarded or get rich, I say it because the money would speed up development.
Many of us probably can name many OSS projects we'd like to see completed. These Linux sales numbers won't impress me one bit until I see my favorite programs being sponsored.
Parent
Re:I write OSS for Linux (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Re:I write OSS for Linux (Score:4, Interesting)
As always, the money goes to the entrepeneurs. Forget about your favorite projects, if you want to see the money from linux, you need to create something of value to those who have money to spend. I do it by upgrading small and medium businesses to linux and becoming their permanent linux guy, you might do it by writing the killer linux program that small business wants.
One thing ought to be crystal clear at this point, however, even to the most challenged of us - and that is, there is a lot of money to be made in connection with this whole linux thing if you keep your skills sharp, and your eyes open.
Take note, mcses who consider themselves linux savvy because they managed to install redhat inside vmware on their windows pc 2 years ago and learned how to type "ps -ef" just aren't going to cut it. The demand out there is for the real deal, genuine linux talent, which can be earned by anyone willing to work hard and apply themselves.
Parent
Re:I write OSS for Linux (Score:3, Insightful)
Judging by the second sentence, i assume you meant "software cost" instead of "TCO", as the TCO _is_ what matters to companies.
Lots of projects are "funded" (Score:5, Interesting)
OSs programmers probably won't see money, but instead companies hire people to work on their projects and they give you the code (lots of times those people are guys who were one of the main developers of the project and they got hired)
Which is fair. We give them our work, they got money, and they hire people to work on our projects and release the source of the modifications. We get better software, they get money.
Well, my point is, "is not true that they give absolutely nothing back". NTPL, good SMP support, latest improvements in the incoming GCC 4.0, Gnome usability, Gnome accesibility from the Sun guys, openoffice...there're LOTS of things that wouldn't have happened without those companies.
Parent
Re:Lots of projects are "funded" (Score:3, Interesting)
BUT WINDOWS IS CHEAPER!!! (Score:5, Funny)
TCO studies (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, wait a sec ... I meant the other way around.
Parent
Errrr, Dupe (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Errrr, Dupe (Score:2)
That's where the number comes from! (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:That's where the number comes from! (Score:3, Funny)
Hmmm - I guess, if you consider all 0x10 digits as fingers. I'm afraid 2 of mine are rather substandard and will be sticking to my O10 fingers and 10b thumbs....
Karma points to.. (Score:2)
Re:Karma points to.. (Score:4, Funny)
Hopefully not the RIAA; otherwise, I would peg the revenue estimate at around $20.
Parent
Re:Karma points to.. (Score:2)
Re:Karma points to.. (Score:5, Informative)
So, not only are they counting the hardware that linux is running on as being "spent on linux," they're also counting existing hardware on which linux will be installed as being "spent" on linux as well.
Parent
Re:Karma points to.. (Score:3, Insightful)
$358 (Score:5, Funny)
more power to FOSS (Score:2, Funny)
Re:more power to FOSS (Score:2)
Most Linux devices won't run an ISO image.
Re:more power to FOSS (Score:2)
$35.7bn? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:$35.7bn? (Score:2)
p.s. Does anyone know how much can one hour of ringing bring???
And yet... (Score:4, Informative)
(source [reuters.com])
And Its Net Economic Benefit Is Even Greater (Score:4, Insightful)
Also, companies can use that money in other areas, which I would assume would make them more productive.
A lot of this revenue is probably for services I would assume.
RMS just called (Score:2, Funny)
Is it much? (Score:5, Interesting)
Microsoft will earn $38 bn [computerweekly.com] in 2005.
IBM received $23.2 bn [com.com] in 2004.
How will those figures look in 2008?Warning (Score:5, Insightful)
Yet the same people completely missed portable MP3 players, VOIP, etc etc
IDC 96% off (Score:5, Interesting)
Why is anyone taking this seriously?
Parent
Don't count your money before it's made. (Score:4, Funny)
TCO! (Score:5, Funny)
See! Windows is a lot cheaper than Linux - I mean, look how much money you have to spend on it!
Hm? How much would it cost to do the same thing with Windows? That's not the point - look! Shiny object!
[/sarcasm]
don't need me anymore (Score:5, Insightful)
This is what happens... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is what happens... (Score:3, Funny)
Actual revenue for 2004 is $15 billion (Score:5, Interesting)
That's a nice number, Note that in comparison, Microsoft's 2004 revenue is about $36 billion. Apple is around $10 billion.
Re:Actual revenue for 2004 is $15 billion (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Re:Actual revenue for 2004 is $15 billion (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Kinda misleading (Score:5, Insightful)
The only credible argument is that less will be spent on hardware supporting Linux than would be spent supporting other operating systems. Perhaps, that's an arguable point. But even then, the cost difference would not be $35 billion.
Re:Kinda misleading (Score:3, Insightful)
You see, good hardware is very important in a purchase decision. However, hardware on its own is not particularly useful, nor does it sell particularly well -- you'll note that it's rather hard to purchase systems independant of an operating system.
While a Windows server and a GNU/Linux server may run on the same hardware, people are buying the servers running GNU/Linux, rather than t
I see they discovered the secret formula!! (Score:5, Funny)
1) Distribute OS for free
2) ???
3) Profit!
All successful companies follow it, and so far, it hasn't failed yet.
In other news, beating dead horses has reached an all time high.
Cash cow? (Score:4, Funny)
Software Sells Hardware (Score:4, Insightful)
IBM said it first, but it's still true today.
You don't buy computer hardware because of its architecture. You buy it for the software it will run.
Linux runs just about any sort of application you could desire, it's free (as in speech, not as in beer), but businesses have to buy hardware and hire IT people to run it.
IBM used to give the software away for free to get people to buy the iron.
The more things change...
I wonder.... (Score:3, Funny)
Do you think Linus Torvalds looks at that $35 billion valuation for Linux and thinks, "I wish I'd invented that..."
In real terms (Score:3, Funny)
Re:and how much do the creators get (Score:3, Informative)
Re:*sigh* revenue is for the ignorant (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wow, back on the 15th is was only 28 billion (Score:3, Informative)
Sun are in a bad place at the moment, and Solaris 10 x86 HAS to succeed for them to make it through the next 3 years. But they still sell a lot of Red Hat, despite their rants about it.
Red Hat have some problems. Their pricing is high for the service they deliver, their products are buggy or incomplete in many cases (config tools, etc.) and they're not great with release da