NetworkMagazine.com: 64 Reasons to Opt for Linux

“Linux enthusiasts love to hate Windows, and Microsoft often
disparages the very concept of free and open-source software. But
if you’re running a high-end server, you probably stay above the
fray. Many Unix users still look down on Windows and Linux, seeing
one as a bug-ridden overlay to DOS and the other as something
hacked together by amateurs.

“Both perceptions are out-of-date. Linux and Windows are set to
challenge proprietary Unix architectures that tie a particular
Operating System (OS) to a particular microprocessor. The main
impetus isn’t coming from Microsoft or the open-source community,
though they’re happy to participate. It’s coming from chipmakers
Intel and AMD, which hope that their new 64-bit processors will
commoditize high-end servers in the same way that open PCs replaced
proprietary microcomputers twenty years ago.

“The roadmap to 64 bits isn’t straightforward. Intel
Architecture 64 (IA-64) isn’t compatible with 32-bit x86 code,
making upgrades harder. AMD’s x86-64 is backward-compatible, but
won’t run IA-64 code. For the first time, Intel and AMD are moving
apart, and neither uses the same approach as current 64-bit
processors…”

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