ServerWatch: Enterprise Unix Roundup: Parsing the Numbers

"Excitement is not exactly the word we would use to describe how we feel about the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker report. This, well, quarterly report is good for about two news cycles worth of information, and then is quickly forgotten.

"The first news cycle typically focuses on the operating systems, since that's what IDC's report emphasizes. The second cycle the focus on the actual server manufacturers, who have by then figured out the best way to spin the result into something they can use for their next round of ads. You know, out-of-context blurbs like 'Rated No. 1 server by IDC!' or some such, often parsed into something nonsensical to achieve the top spot. These blurbs, like movie ad blurbs, we tend to take with a huge grain of salt..."

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Related Stories:

• eWeek: Windows Finally Beats Unix, But Linux Is Coming on Strong(Feb 23, 2006)
• IDC Server Report Generates Opposing Spins(Feb 22, 2006)