Growth of Linux and Windows in competition

Article title: Linux and Windows are growing in competition. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

In a competitive market environment, various similar products launched by manufacturers have their own unique selling points, which is a good thing for users. Because vendors can win customers only by constantly improving products to meet users' needs. On the other hand, users can also choose one of the most suitable products from more competitive products. The innovation of any vendor will promote the improvement of other vendors, so the overall quality of all products will be upgraded over time.

As we know, monopoly companies mean that only one vendor is controlling the market. consumers have to pay for the products and prices they provide.

Let's take a look at the operating system market. Obviously, the Linux market is fiercely competitive. There are a variety of Linux desktop systems distros and a large number of Linux servers in the market. Both RedHat and NOVELL have a large market share in the enterprise market, but other vendors also have their own bases in the Linux market, for example, deletuserver attracts a large number of users with their unique sales philosophy. To promote the competitiveness of the Linux market, paid distros (that is, to obtain sales from users through subscription) also needs to compete with the free distros used by the company. This also pushes companies like RedHat and NOVELL to make sure their products (such as distribution, service support, patches, and prices) are more attractive in all respects than free products, linux users can find better solutions. The same applies to Unix.

But not everyone thinks so. LinusTorvalds stated his point of view last month in an interview with DistroWatchWeekly about Linux. "I don't think a wide range of distribution is good. We have hundreds of distros, many of which are used in the niche market. You need them because different markets have different requirements. No vendor can monopolize everything ". Torvalds also mentioned desktop distribution, but his view also applies to server versions. "In addition, multiple users can make everyone more reliable, and you can compare them with each other. This may seem complicated, but even if the multi-user system is more complex, I would rather choose a multi-user system than a single-user system ".

Let's compare the Windows operating system. The Windows operating system market looks monopolistic. There is only one vendor in the desktop system Field-Microsoft provides Windows Vista to choose from. Of course, Vista also has many different versions (such as commercial, domestic, and Enterprise ). You may say that Microsoft provides different versions, and Microsoft does not force users to buy features they don't need, but you can also say that the company forces users to pay for any features they need. Similarly, different versions of the same product are not different products.

However, at least users still have version options. The poor OSX operating system users have no right to choose. Computer companies have no choice but to accept what they need.

The server operating system market is a little more complex than we described just now. Neither Microsoft nor Microsoft can truly achieve monopoly-they compete with each other in this operating system market. In the field of server operating systems, the Windows operating system occupies absolute control, and the Unix share is also very large, but the Windows operating system is currently in decline. The market share of Linux is not large but steady growth, while OSX can only rely on the edge station.

Interestingly, although the market share of Linux is small, it is the fastest growing. It seems that competition among Linux distributors has supported this growth, ensuring that Linux is more attractive year by year as a whole. In this case, it can ensure that the user's needs can be met through different products. As Linux vendors have said, "No such vendor can take care of everything ". This is true for both Microsoft and Microsoft.