According to the survey, Linux is unlikely to achieve great success in the PC field.

Linux, an open-source operating system, is expanding its presence in the enterprise field, but Windows will continue to dominate consumer desktops at least in the not too distant future.

According to IDC, a market research vendor, Linux is making rapid progress in the enterprise market, and more enterprises around the world are using it to replace Unix operating systems. However, it predicts that, considering the current lack of support, Linux is unlikely to achieve such great success in the consumer desktop field.

Enterprise Linux

According to Aurora, an analyst at IDC, IDC's "2004 server consolidation survey" shows that more and more enterprises are using Linux to replace Unix.

According to the survey, the number of enterprises in the survey that are switching Windows, Unix, and Netware servers is 14%, 18%, and 42% respectively. Arora pointed out that most enterprises are porting Windows-based servers, but enterprises that change Unix servers are switching to Linux rather than Windows. 32% of Solaris replacement enterprises switched to Linux.

Too technical?

Despite the strong growth in the enterprise market, Linux's success in the consumer desktop market cannot be cloned in the enterprise market. Stephen, Technical Director of Adeptiva Linux, admitted that it was difficult for consumers to use Linux because of a lack of support comparable to Windows desktops. He said that for most desktop users, there is no urgent need to switch to Linux.

Despite having a graphical user interface comparable to a Windows desktop, Linux is still a very technically powerful software product. In addition to professional technical staff, few can provide support to consumer users. Stephen said that at present, most Windows users rely on friends and family to solve problems in the case of computer problems. The Linux community has not yet seen such a support network, he pointed out that although many BBS on the Internet can provide help, users are still very dissatisfied with this support mode.

Goh Seow Hiong, Software Policy Director of the Business Software Alliance, said in an interview with the media that most consumers are not ready to use Linux. He said that even people like him who have a computer science degree cannot correctly install Linux copies that match the graphics card on their computers. If problems occur when using Linux computers, people with less technical knowledge will feel discouraged. He pointed out that even users who purchase computers preinstalled with Linux often use pirated Windows to replace Linux.

Linux development motivation

Stephen said that he would not advise consumers to switch to Linux, but enterprise users should seriously consider this issue. He said that enterprises have reasons to turn to Linux because it can reduce costs and solve some of the biggest problems affecting user productivity, such as spyware, viruses, and worms. He pointed out that Windows-based computers are generally more vulnerable to these threats.

Steve, managing director of Red Hat Asia Pacific, pointed out that the driver of Linux development will come from the enterprise community. He said Linux-based desktops are not particularly good in emerging markets such as China and India. The main motivation for Linux is still from the enterprise market. enterprises usually deploy Linux in a small scope, and then gradually expand to the entire IT architecture of enterprises. Steve said that since Linux has dominated the IT architecture of the entire enterprise, enterprises will need support services.

From: IT. COM. CN