“Microsoft announced this week at the Windows Hardware
Engineering Conference in New Orleans that it will combine its
embedded operating systems into a single business unit. The
news is unsurprising, but it does reflect an active shift in the
marketplace from traditional servers, devices, and operating
systems to their equivalents — an area where Linux is already
well-positioned.“
“The larger hardware vendors are, as usual, staying involved but
impartial. Compaq currently leads sales of Linux servers, but also
provides hardware for the Windows CE-based Microsoft Pocket PC.
Similarly, both IBM and Dell are rallying their server appliance
efforts, releasing hardware that will run stripped-down versions of
Linux and Windows.”
“Server appliances have become popular as operating systems have
swollen with features and bundled applications. Companies that only
need a server to run a specific function — such as serving Web
pages — prefer a bare-bones operating system that allows for
breakneck hardware performance. And small devices such as PDAs or
handheld credit card processors don’t have enough memory or
processing power to handle a full-fledged operating system,
rendering them useless without a miniature alternative.”