“So now that it has captured the hearts and minds of
networking geeks, what’s next for Linux? Can Linus Torvald’s
brainchild also capture the pocketbooks of mainstream corporate
IT?
Maybe. But companies ultimately don’t buy operating
systems–they buy applications. … That’s why recent announcements
from companies such as Computer Associates, Oracle and SAP may be
as important to the adoption of Linux in the corporate world as the
platform’s relative technical merits.”
” ‘With the interest our customers are showing in Linux as a
high-performance, low-cost applications platform, we see the market
as being a lot like it was in 1994 when we jumped out in front with
NT,” says’ Brandon Musher, director of product strategy at Computer
Associates.”
“What’s clear is that–technical merits aside–Linux is in the
hands of application developers and IT managers, who must decide if
the upstart OS is worth the risk. With such a strong
price/performance case and business apps on the way, the question
of what’s next for Linux will be interesting for some time.”