VNU Net: ISV reluctance holds back Linux [Gartner]

By John Leyden, VNU Net

Lack of enthusiasm for Linux among independent software vendors
(ISVs) will slow down the progress of the operating system into
mainstream and mission-critical environments, according to a
report from researcher Gartner.

The company predicts that only around a third (30 to 35 per
cent) of ISVs supporting server applications on Unix or Windows
will support Linux by 2002.

George Weiss, an analyst at Gartner, said: “ISVs are warming to
the future prospects of Linux, but many key ISVs still harbour
reservations and do not yet see sufficient enterprise demand.”
General IT manager interest has not yet transcended to mainstream
mission-critical environments, he added.

“Without a big push to drive users from the curious to the
committed, ISVs will withhold resources.”

Gartner advises users to confine Linux to roles in which current
ISV support is strongest, such as web server and network
infrastructure.

“Willingness to deploy Linux in scalable database management
systems and mission-critical applications should be predicated on
sincere long-term commitments of hardware vendors and ISVs that can
guarantee enterprise levels of support provided for their other
operating systems,” said Weiss.

In around 50 ISV interviews conducted by Gartner, the most
frequent cause of rejection of the operating system was pinned to
lack of user demand.

ISVs enthusiastic about Linux tend to be the emerging vendors
with ecommerce solutions, as well as those with infrastructure and
appliance products who believe Linux eliminates the cost of porting
to multiple Unix variants.

In contrast, those ISVs not committed to Linux also tend to have
a significant vested interest in legacy applications tied to
alternative platforms.

“A preponderance of them have nurtured applications through
painstaking years of development, improvements and maintenance, and
harbour a natural reluctance to port to Linux from fear as well as
costs,” said Weiss.

Chief among these vendors’ fears is a hidden anxiety that the
philosophy of open source software may exert pressure on their
licensing practices and fees.

Weiss said another worry is the uncertainty of Linux’s
development, which he believes lags behind Unix functionality by
three to four years, and concerns about possible fragmentation of
the freeware operating system.