[ Thanks to Matt for
this link. ]
“Linux will soon overtake Unix as the operating system of choice
for several major enterprise segments, including high-performance
computing, carrier-grade and mission-critical systems, and database
hosting. That’s according to a paper published in June by research
firm Aberdeen Group Inc.“Bill Claybrook, author of the study, said the main reasons for
this movement are price and performance. ‘Linux servers on
industry-standard Intel- and AMD-based architectures are much less
expensive than RISC/Unix servers and offer significant
price/performance advantages,’ between 10 and 40 times, he said.
Also contributing is broad availability of 64-bit processors from
both AMD and Intel, as well as support for 16-way processing in the
operating system, though the 8-way hardware hasn’t quite caught up
yet.“Another factor spurring Linux adoption, Claybrook said, is a
trend away from proprietary systems. ‘Users are in a hurry to rid
[themselves] of the locked-in feeling that accompanies proprietary
OSes and hardware,’ he said, adding that Unix-based middleware is
easily ported to Linux…”