Operating System Analysis Report: Microsoft Term Paper

7 billion by 2008 establishing the fact that Linux is no more a fringe player but rather a mainstream. IDC admitted that Linux is not being used just on new hardware only. As an alternative customers frequently reinstall existing servers to run Linux. While considering for such use as also the use of Linux for secondary OS, IDC forecasts for servers running Linux to remain 26% larger in 2008. Evidently, the big opportunity the growth comes from the server market and that is where Linux is having a stupendous amount of achievement, according to Stuart Cohen, CEO of OSDL. Nevertheless, in spite of the speedier growth of Linux, IDC estimated earlier this month that market share of server delivery on Linux still would be behind Microsoft Windows by 2008. (Linux Loom Larger Than Thought)

VI. Summary and Conclusion

To conclude, the future is rosy for Linux. The strong points being it being freely available, the applications are getting more and more mainstream, Open Office from Linux is an excellent product, and the Graphical User Interface or GUI is very much close to Windows and not vulnerable to the numerous viruses and worms. On this note, it is time to ask whether Microsoft is ultimately close to facing real threat from Linux in the desktop arena.The upcoming versions of Windows might be expensive and need new hardware, the two other domains where Linux competes well. It might also involve a lot of modifications. By the time it is delivered, increasing number of Linux distributions will appear like Windows while Microsoft launches a new interface. People acclimatized to the present Windows UI might object the change.

References

Abramson, Ronna. (15 December, 2004) "Linux Loom Larger than Thought" Retrieved at http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/tech/ronnaabramson/10199089.html. Accessed on 26 May, 2005

Introducing the Windows Server 2003 Operating Systems" (July 24, 2002) Retrieved at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/overview/family.mspx. Accessed on 26 May, 2005

Linux Inc." Business Week. (31 January, 2005) Retrieved at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_05/b3918001_mz001.htm?campaign_id=nws_insdr_jan21&link_position=link1Accessed on 26 May, 2005

Linux vs. Windows" Retrieved at http://www.michaelhorowitz.com/Linux.vs.Windows.html. Accessed on 26 May, 2005

Lowe, Scott. (3 March, 2004) "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3: An Overview." Retrieved at http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/software/os/0,39023442,39116402,00.htm. Accessed on 26 May, 2005

Microsoft Windows Server 2003: Overview." Retrieved at http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/software/microsoft/OS/Windows2003_overview.html. Accessed on 26 May, 2005

Microsoft SWOT Analysis" Retrieved at http://www.SWOT-analysis.net/microsoft.php. Accessed on 26 May, 2005

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