Is Linux Dead?

TunkeyMicket writes "It appears MSNBC is reporting that Linux has failed as an operating system. By citing the large Linux hype as reason for Linux to be dominating the market, they draw the conclusion that the "open source" alternative has flopped as an operating system. They briefly mention the success of Linux in the server community, but really the article gives Linux as little credit as possible."

Not quite

[splume]

I don't think that is what the article was saying. It praised how well Linux was doing in the server market, taking on the older more established *NIX big boys. The only failure the article mentioned was how it has not make a significant impact on the desktop at home. Well Duh! When a company such as Microsoft has a monopoly, I think it is going to take more than just a few years to crack a hole in that shell.

How is this article biased against Linux

[Knytefall]

if it includes a quote from HP: "Linux is becoming more and more mainstream everyday?"

Re:Oh great!

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, read the article.
It clearly retorts its own headline, and explains that in fact linux is NOT dead.

"A recent survey of 800 companies in North America and Western Europe found that some 40 percent said they were either using or testing Linux, according to the research firm IDC. With some 27 percent of the market, Linux is now the second most popular operating system for servers, supplanting the decades-old operating system UNIX; Microsoft holds the top spot."

Re:Read the article...

[EastCoastSurfer]

Some more thoughts along the same lines as the parent post. I have to wonder if the only way to get anything posted to slashdot is to submit flaimbait. The article is a well balanced assesment of where linux is today after all of the yesteryear hype. They don't say linux is dead, and the article actually hints around that more and more companies are moving to it for financial reasons. For all those slashdotters claiming that msbnc is biased, well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

Re:MSNBC has failed as a news channel

[bla]

If you want to say that Linux has failed as a DESKTOP OS, fine. But as a server OS? hardly.

actually, that's exactly what the article says. the frontpage blurb is the usual /. overreaction.

Article has some valid points

[EchoMirage]

The temptation everywhere here will be to write this article off as it comes from MSNBC (the article notes this itself). This is known as the genetic fallacy, so let's get over that angle right away. The article has some valid points.

First, it is true that as a commercial venture, Linux has largely been a failure - the problems of VA, RedHat, and many others simply cannot be ignored. But as many have pointed out, this doesn't mean Linux itself is dead at all.

Second, Linux still has not gained any major inroads in the personal computer world. Yes, I know WalMart sells Linux-able PCs, that many embedded devices run Linux, and many people use Linux on their PCs, but there still aren't many/any desktop PCs shipping with Linux.

The article mainly focuses on the commercial aspect of Linux, which as I have already mentioned, is a valid point. However, most people here know that Linux can be a useful desktop OS, does have a large following, and is excellent for embedded applications and servers.

The point? Take this article in stride, and take its criticisms to heart - Linux has failed in 10 years to make any strong inraods into the personal computer market, commercially speaking. If Linux hopes to ever make it past the server/embedded market, this should be a huge focus (and judging from projects like KDE and Gnome, that effort is well underway).

Did anybody actually READ the article?

[Clay Mitchell]

I know this is a fantastically novel idea, but did anybody read the article instead of knee-jerking "OMG MSNBC IS GOING TO SUPPORT MS ALWAYS" ?

The first half the article praises Linux for being a low cost server solution that a LOT of companies are using. There is even a quote from a HP exec who says "Now Linux is becoming more mainstream every day."

The second half does go into the desktop area of Linux, which they say is lacking, and then it goes on to say it IS getting better with things such as Star Office and OpenOffice, but it still needs to overcome the problem of Windows being installed on pretty much every pre-built computer sold.

Nowhere in this article does it say anything about Linux being dead. It's more of a "What's Linux up to?"

Re:Obvious flame from MSNBC.

[Jucius Maximus]

"True that. Consider the source. MS (as in Microsoft)NBC. They have a vested interest in perpetuating monopolistic power in Redmond, WA."

Come on people, are our memories so short as to forget that MSNBC is one of the biggest mainstream Microsoft criticsers? (Maybe MS has clamped down?) Here are some of their MS-Critical articles:

Microsoft's Accidental Virus [msnbc.com]

Microsoft Announces New Software Flaw [msnbc.com]

Microsoft's monopoly extends to Web, SBC executive charges [msnbc.com]

Microsoft exec urged Linux reprisal [msnbc.com]

States: Microsoft uses Windows to take advantage of rival developers [msnbc.com]

Microsoft witness says he never read proposed antitrust penalties [msnbc.com]

Microsoft music, movie player collects log of users' entertainment [msnbc.com]

Microsoft's Isle of Denial [msnbc.com]

Microsoft witness admits to tension with software firm [msnbc.com]

Need I go on? (Now I am not a lawyer but...) If Microsft influences MSNBC, a press/media company to send out pro-MSFT biased news all the time, this would be likely be illegal and fall into a legal area where sentors, judges and juries are not largely uninformed and clueless. That treading on the ground of infringing freedom of the press. (Maybe they are shooting themselves in the foot right about now!)

Re:Not quite

[AVee]

Indeed, actually the /. submission is more wrong than the MSNBC article. Try to find the word dead somewhere. The article asks what happend to linux after a lot of the hype died down and concludes it's still growing and doing well on the server part but is hardly seen on the desktop.
That's all, hardly any news, and by no means an intersting article IMHO.

Now should i post a story to MSNBC stating that "It appears that Slashdot is reporting that MSNBC is spreading M$ fud"?

Lay off MSNBC

[dfenstrate]

If you read the article, the slashdot headline is crap.

If you read MSNBC alot, like I do, you'll find:
1. It's a hell of a lot more responsible, journalism wise, then abcnews.
2. They are not shy about printing articles that put MS in a bad light.

Sections like letters to the editor (where they frequently publish letters from people who sharply disagree with them) and their Ombudsman (currently the position is unfilled, the last guy moved on after a year) used to publically evaluate their journalistic practices and comment or criticize them, by their own employee, has caused me to respect them a great deal.

Say what you like about MS, but MSNBC is a great news site.

Re:read the article

[tempest303]

Too bad the author of the article can't get his facts straight.

According to him, Evolution is a desktop environment and he implies that Lindows is in the office suite business. I'm not implying any malice here, but the guy really needs to do a bit more research before opening his yap.

But yeah, it's definitely not the intentional troll that the /. summary makes it out to be.

Interestingly enough, though, he does allude to (albeit unintentionally) Linux's REAL "innovation" for desktop computers: price. Where else but WalMart can you now find a computer for a mere $299??!? This is a clear demonstration of why Linux desktops, should they continue to improve usability-wise, and gain more end-user software (and they will) will soon become a major market. Quite simply, they're just cheaper, making them more available. I'd argue that 99% of users DON'T CARE about "Tablet PC's" and all that crap. They want a regular PC for the web, email, and a little light "office" work, maybe play a few games, and balance their checkbook, and they want it all for *cheap*. Linux desktops aren't quite there on the feature front, but it'll always cost less than any version of Windows.

No need to check the facts...

[slasher999]

When you work for a MS company I guess "close enough" is good enough. A couple of incorrect items:

Finnish is spelled with two "n"'s, not one.

Evolution looks like Oulook, not like the Windows desktop. That would be KDE or Gnome.

I don't recall seeing an email client in either OpenOffice 1.0 or StarOffice 6.0 (and I just installed StarOffice 6.0 this am). I really don't think you can count that thing in SO 5.2 as a real email client.

News?

[FlydinSlip]

I guess the most disturbing piece is that this is a news source that a great deal of people use to keep current. Saying something likde this, at least for me, throws a great deal of suspicion on the rest of their 'news'. If Wal-Mart restricts the music they sell to appeal to a more mainstream audience, why then, are they planning to sell new machines with Mandrake on them? Why would they put a dead OS on new machines? huh... My two cents..

Microsoft holds the top spot???

[aspjunkie]

"With some 27 percent of the market, Linux is now the second most popular operating system for servers, supplanting the decades-old operating system UNIX; Microsoft holds the top spot. "

I imagine most of these "servers" are domain controllers and the like, it's funny how they forgot to include Apache statistics, most of which I'm assuming run on *nix (is there really that large of a statistic that run Apache on Windows?)

Apache - 56.21%
Microsoft - 31.68%
Zeus - 2.26%
iPlanet - 2.19%

http://www.netcraft.com/Survey/ [netcraft.com]

Pot. Kettle. Black.

[MsGeek]

Everything you mentioned as a weakness of Linux goes double in Windows 2000. IIS still has holes that MS hasn't patched, and there are far too many people running IIS who haven't applied the necessary patches that do exist. I can think of vulnerabilities in W2K FTP, W2K DNS, W2K Telnet, etc. etc. etc.

You speak of how bad root is...most W2K servers are locally booted with the Administrator account, and most services run with the W2K System account, which is just as bad as running as Administrator.

W2K has all the vulnerabilities you speak of and more...because there are far more people developing worms, virii and whatnot for W2K. I don't know enough about .NET Server to know whether or not MS has fixed the problem in their new server OS. I hope they do, because most W2K Server installations are ticking time bombs.

I know these things...I'm an MCSE.

Taco = Loser

[InOverMyFeet]

Taco's just trying to stir up the hornets' nest again. I mean really, how much credibility does M$NBC have reporting on a topic such as Linux? For that matter, how much credibility does M$NBC have (.)

Re:I'm pretty happy

[JebusIsLord]

Honestly, I didn't think the article was nearly as inflamatory as slashdot indicated. Linux HASNT caught on as much as the mainstream press expected, and the average person DOENSN'T know what ever happened to it. The article pretty much just says it as it is. No where in there does it say that Linux is dead.