“‘Total world domination is just around the corner, in case you
didn’t notice.’ That half-joking, half-serious comment by Linux?s
Finnish creator, Linus Torvalds, shows how far his college project
has come since 1991. In the last 12 months, Linux-a free, open
source clone of Unix-has evolved from a curiosity to a mainstream
operating system, one that some say could unseat Microsoft’s
Windows NT ambitions.”
“Today, Linux has become a serious business, despite its basis
on noncommercial principles. But is Linux a long-term proposition,
or is it fadware or nicheware that will go the way of Next Software
Inc.’s Next OS, IBM Corp.’s OS/2, Apple Computer Inc.’s Mac OS or
other previous alternatives?”
“Like the Web and the Internet before it, Linux burst upon the
scene with a simple promise: Open standards and open platforms mean
new market opportunities–opportunities unavailable to businesses
pursuing traditional proprietary technology strategies.”