“Linux’s Nagging Legal and Culture Clash Issues Could Slow
Meteoric Rise Summit Strategies Predicts Potential Barriers for
Open Source Operating System Star”
“As LinuxWorld opens today in San Jose, CA, Summit Strategies’
analyst Dwight Davis predicts that nagging liability concerns and a
potential culture clash could dampen the ultimate success of Linux,
the freeware phenomenon that is suddenly the IT industry’s
darling.”
“Davis, service director for Summit Strategies, Inc., an IT
market research firm headquartered in Boston, notes in a report
published today that software vendors, service providers, chip
manufacturers, and PC and server OEMs are all rushing to embrace
Linux. High-profile efforts by Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer,
IBM, Dell Computer and Silicon Graphics are part of a major
groundswell of support for the upstart operating system that could
pose tough competitive and strategic challenges for Microsoft and
for commercial Unix vendors. According to Davis, Microsoft, in
particular, will suffer real losses at Linux’s hands, including
lost NT-server sales and tougher OEM negotiations and terms for
Windows licenses.”