“Although Linux was enthusiastically supported by the
noncorporate part of the UNIX community for some time, the
UNIX-workalike OS did not receive serious attention from the
business community until Forbes magazine made Linux its cover
story. Since that time, several large corporations within the
computer industry have announced varying degrees of increased
support for Linux, and a few corporate IT departments have come out
of the Linux closet by announcing their use of the OS…”
“… LinuxWorld was almost like a revival meeting. The expo hall
was filled with attendees of varying ages, attires, and degrees of
purchasing responsibility. Several of the UNIX old-timers commented
that the show was like UniForum in the 1980s–exciting, vibrant,
and full of business promise. Without exception, the vendors that I
spoke with were pleased with the mix of attendees. “… the vendors
reported speaking with honest-to-God real potential
customers–people with budget responsibility, and money to spend on
Linux-related products.”
“Many companies were taking older PCs that had been relegated to
the storage closet, loading Linux-based software, and giving the
machines new life and purpose within the organization.”