Linux Market to Grow 154% in 2001 predicts Idaya/freeVSD research
Apr 3rd, 22:21 UTC
Research conducted by Idaya (www.idaya.co.uk), sponsors of the freeVSD project (www.freevsd.org), has revealed that the Linux market is expected to grow by over 150% during 2001. Linux is predicted to become the most dominant global web server platform by mid 2002, and there is majority confidence that open source software will become the most dominant underlying technology for web hosting services by 2003.
However, this growth is dependent on improvements in Linux functionality, principally the wider porting of standard productivity applications to Linux, and failsafe techniques such as file system journalling. The main potential obstacles to Linux market growth are seen as: lack of support availability from the distributions and application developers; and market conservatism and distrust of GPL-based solutions.
The Idaya/FreeVSD research was conducted between January and March 2001 amongst the global top 1000 Internet Service Providers - precisely the companies that have made the greatest investment in GPL technology and applications. Respondents were a mixture of business managers, technical heads and service managers.
Principal findings from the research were:-
· The Linux market is expected to grow a further 154% during 2001, matching growth rates experienced in 2000.
· Improved software ability (66%), journalling file systems functionality (53%), ease of installation (48%) and improved GUIs would accelerate this growth rate.
· Linux is expected to become the most dominant webserver platform by mid 2002.
· 45% of respondents expect open source software to become the dominant technology for web hosting by the end of 2003. On the other hand, 33% do not believe it will become this dominant.
· Almost two thirds (64%) of ISPs consider the leading open source software meets the standard required for enterprise level applications, comparable with proprietary software.
· Market distrust and Support Availability are seen as the main potential obstacles to Linux market growth.
· An overwhelming majority (70%) feel there should be greater convergence between freeBSD and the Linux distributions in order to combine their strengths and develop a standard set of tools for modern Unix platforms.
Austin Delaney, founder of the freeVSD project comments, "The pace of Linux growth continues unabated, fuelled by the obvious economies open source software delivers into the community most reliant on Linux - namely the ISP community. The improved ability of the ISP to bring down the cost of web services, yet be able to rely on robust and proven GPL applications, is putting web-enablement within the grasp of a far wider global business community - and this all without undermining the ISP's earnings potential.
"Yet additionally we are also seeing the traditional proprietary providers of enterprise systems - IBM, Oracle, Dell, Compaq, HP, etc - putting billions of dollars into Linux development. This is critically important as it presages the penetration of Linux into corporate back-office processes, immediately opening a far wider market for support services and for GPL-developed applications. I think everyone has realised that open source in general, and Linux in particular, is here to stay."
Graphs & illustrative charts available on request
For further information please contact:
Zoë Knipe
Lindsell Marketing
Tel: +44 (0)207 434 2090
Fax:+44 (0)207 437 4130
E-Mail:zoe@lindsellmarketing.com
(Submitted by Zoe Knipe of Lindsell Marketing)
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