Rusty one, I really recommend the 350/8 sub for the 190D -- a real Q-ship.
And costs about as much as Linux installation.
You've sunk to touting software on the web? <GAL!> -- do you drag cash?
Some data for your delectation:
news.com
NT, NetWare, Unix vie for lead
By Ben Heskett
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
July 2, 1998, 5:00 a.m. PT
Microsoft's Windows NT Server operating system blew past software from Novell
and various Unix-based players this past year in units shipped, but Unix
maintained a significant lead in revenue, and continues to rule at the high-end,
according to final 1997 numbers released by market researcher International
Data Corporation.
A battle has shaped up between Microsoft's Windows NT Server operating
system, various forms of Unix sold by Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and
others; and Novell's NetWare software. However, IBM's OS/2 continues afar from
prominence.
"In terms of trends, one could say that Windows
NT Server and NetWare continue to be sold very
heavily and that Unix is still growing," said Jean
Bozman, a software analyst for IDC. "However,
over time we expect to see more Unix growth in
the midrange and high-end markets."
In other words, while Unix will likely continue to
grow in revenue terms, the software is likely to be
used in a higher end role, reducing volume for the
various operating system variants.
NT, in the meantime, continues to win converts at
the departmental level for new applications, where
its low price and relatively easy installation matter
most .
However, NT so far has not taken hold outside of
the departmental level. Microsoft is trying to rectify
that situation by targeting an enterprise version of
NT at larger servers. Also, Windows NT 5.0 is
expected to address scalability limitations by
supporting additional processors and large
clustered systems. But NT 5.0's delivery data has
slipped again, and the software isn't expected to ship until the first half of next
year, at the earliest.
Overall, total revenue from sales of server operating system software was $5.6
billion. Various Unix variants grabbed the largest chunk of the pie, representing
45.8 percent of total revenue. Microsoft's NT represented 34.2 percent of the
total market while Novell's NetWare sales came in at 19 percent of the market.
IBM's sluggish OS/2 represented a 1.1 percent share. Microsoft and Novell's
sales include software sold through third party sales channels.
Overall growth in operating system sales from 1996 to 1997 was 15.3 percent.
Looking out toward 2002, IDC predicts that NT will exhibit a compound annual
growth rate of 21 percent compared to Unix's growth rate of 10 percent over the
same period.
Microsoft's NT took charge in sheer unit volume, pulling 36 percent of sales,
compared with NetWare's 26.4 percent, Unix's 20.7 percent, Linux servers' 6.8
percent, and OS/2's 6.3 percent. Total unit sales for 1997 was 3.5 million.
Other findings include: NT Server's installed base is predicted to surpass Unix in
1999 and NetWare in the year 2000. Shipments of NT Server experienced the
fastest growth, year over year, of 73 percent, compared to Unix variants, which
grew 17 percent. More than half of NT shipments were for file and print use,
while 10 percent of Unix shipments were for that purpose.
CNET has an intriguing story on the growth of NT.
This article claims that units shipped of Windows NT Server are growing rapidly, and outpacing the growth of Unix
servers. Yawn. I've heard it all before, and while I think there is some truth to this, I don't think NT can maintain this
pace, especially given all the horror stories I'm hearing about NT 5.0.
What bothered me was the story's statistics, specifically regarding Linux. The claim is that last year, NT accounted
for 36% of server sales, Netware 26%, Unix 21%, Linux 7%, and OS/2 6%. Now, I should be happy. After all,
Linux got mentioned, and it was listed ahead of OS/2. But something about this just doesn't smell right. Total unit
sales were 3.5 million for 1997, according to the article. At 7%, that would mean that only 250,000 Linux servers
were sold last year.
I have two problems with that figure. First, I believe Bob Young at Red Hat claimed something like 400,000 units
sold last year, and I have no reason to doubt him. I don't know what Caldera's sales were. Substantially less, I'm
sure, but even at only 100,000, that would give a figure double that of the CNET article. This doesn't include other
commercial distributions like SUSE. Part of the problem may be what counts as a server. Every Linux system is
capable of being a server, but not all are used as such. I have four Linux boxes at home, and only one of them could
legitimately be called a server. Still, I'd be curious to know how CNET came up with their number.
But the second, more obvious problem is in talking about server SALES. Obviously the majority of Linux servers in
place did not result from sales; Linux is free. Even if a company wants to go the official rout and buy from Red Hat,
they don't need one CD for each server; they need one CD for all servers. And most Linuxes come from a
commercial sale anyway.
So its nice to be mentioned, but I think this story is badly skewed. Don't flame CNET; they're just reporting figures
from IDC. I wouldn't flame IDC either; we do the community no good by screaming at everyone who doesn't
mention Linux the way we want them to. But it would be nice to get some clarification from IDC on where they get
their Linux numbers from.
shell.nanospace.com
Now, if you ewe, back on your b ... |
