Linux boosts Intel-based server OS market

PsycoDoc writes "Sales growth for Intel-based servers slowed down in 1998, although sales of operating systems for these machines grew faster because of the growing popularity of Linux."

We'll see about LinuxPPC and Apple sales

[Badfish]

I'll consider this kind of thig a real accomplishment when iMac and G3 sales go up because of LinuxPPC

New linux numbers?

[spacey]

It seems like IDC feels they know how many units of linux shipped in 1998. Any guesses as to whether their data will be made available to update the estimates of the # of linux systems there are out there?

-Peter

Lookie Here!

[Richard Phillips]

212% is an impressive number. If it doesn't get the attention of a few more top-notch vendors, they deserve to lose sales. Wake up vendors!

So what?

[scottj]

I like Linux and am a dedicated Linux user, but I really don't think that these statistics are useful in any way. So Linux accounted for 14% of the OS sales growth. Big deal! That's only the growth. It has nothing to do with total sales. And besides that, Linux is free! You can't show sales figures for free software!

Statistic seems somewhat misleading.

[Zico]

Let's say one company's department buys 1 NT Server and 10 NT Workstations. Another department goes Linux and buys 11 RedHat Linux 5.2 boxes. Now even though they might use only one of them in the "traditional server" role, using the rest as user workstations, all of the Linux boxes will be counted as Server OS purchases. This would distort that Server OS sales statistic, which has gotta be pretty hard to figure out for Linux anyway. I'm curious what their absolute numbers for Linux were, instead of just their listing of "percentage growth." If I just overlooked it in the article, or if anyone has access to IDC's study, fill me in on the details. Other random notes:

• Surprised to see only 4 percent growth for Unix, despite Linux not being included in this number.
• Surprised that SCO UnixWare showed "strong growth."
• Surprised that NetWare showed gains as high as 13.6%, despite the upgrade.
• I know OS/2 is dead and all, but a decline of 41% is pretty staggering.

Cheers,
[e-mail]

The point...

[Duke Leto]

I think the point of that article should be that its generated $33 Million in the first place... all for pure freedom. I love that.

Leto