"Linux--with a strong developer community and a
flexibility that allows the Unix clone to run on numerous
chips--has become an asset the chipmakers want on their sides as
they prepare future chip designs. Linux has become a tool to secure
quick support for a new chip. 'Linux gets software into market more
quickly than waiting for support from Microsoft,' said Mercury
Research analyst Dean McCarron. 'Linux is a wonderful operating
system for rapid deployment. The Microsoft operating systems
ultimately get used in very large volume, but when (a chip) is
first coming out, those operating systems aren't typically
available.'
Linux has been running on 64-bit chips such as Compaq's Alpha,
SGI's MIPS and Sun's UltraSparc for years, but Windows is a
relative newcomer, with a first, limited 64-bit version arriving
this week. And Microsoft, with conservative customers and huge
support costs for new products, moves more deliberately than the
comparatively freewheeling Linux community."
