“While some might consider a federally imposed breakup of
Microsoft (MSFT) to be a dream scenario for Linux-related
companies, International Data Corp., the Mass.-based market
research firm, issued a report Monday saying the opposite could be
true.”
“In short, Kusnetzky says, the prospect of Microsoft
swooping in and taking over the Linux applications market is
intriguing but unlikely. He says the purpose of the report was
simply to give IDC clients a full-scale business analysis of the
opportunities and pitfalls that lay ahead. Given recent market
growth totals — according to an April IDC report, Linux server
shipments jumped 166 percent in the fourth quarter of 1999 from the
same period in 1998 — Kusnetzky still considers Linux the most
compelling story in the IT marketplace.”
“We’re only looking at paid shipments,” he says. “We’re not
taking into account free copies and free downloads. It’s
fascinating to watch.”