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> The poster child for open source is Linux, a software operating system that holds roughly 25-30% of the server market share against formidable competitors lik

by tonmoy 10y ago

> The poster child for open source is Linux, a software operating system that holds roughly 25-30% of the server market share against formidable competitors like Microsoft I would sure like to see some citation on that claim, to me it feels like it could be much higher!

jawilson2 10y ago
I'm assuming they differentiate linux from, e.g., BSD or other Unixes?
- smitherfield 10y ago
  It's probably just a 10 years+ out-of-date figure. Although there probably are a lot more systems running legacy Windows outside of the tech industry and also outside the US.
superuser2 10y ago
Warning: anecdata. Nearly every traditional small/medium business with Windows machines has an onsite domain controller and Exchange server. Any store with computer cash registers probably has a Windows server in the back that they're talking to. Ditto for card access control systems, parking garage gates, some elevators, some HVAC systems. Every doctor's office, chain retail store, car dealership, and cube farm is likely serviced by at least one Windows server (and also likely a Cisco PBX running IOS). Linux is dominant for web backends in tech companies, and has some penetration among large non-tech enterprises for Java apps, but there is really a staggering amount of Windows out there in the non-tech world, and Linux is not the default server platforms often as you'd think. (Plus enterprises may be less hip to virtualization, and run larger server counts for similar workloads). Rust belt cities have vibrant Windows Server consulting/service ecosystems that spend a few service hours a month on a given small business. Those companies have maybe one or two techs who did a little bit of Linux once.
- tracker1 10y ago
  There's also a surprising number of C#/.Net application deployments for internal usage and Windows is the default deployment strategy for most of them. Even well outside the rustbelt. Phoenix, for example, often has more .Net than Java dev going on.
Skunkleton 10y ago
If you limit your search to 'servers on the public internet', then linux's share goes up to 80-90%. This number probably includes all of the non-public servers. Or they made it up.

by tonmoy 10y ago

jawilson2 10y ago

I'm assuming they differentiate linux from, e.g., BSD or other Unixes?

smitherfield 10y ago
It's probably just a 10 years+ out-of-date figure. Although there probably are a lot more systems running legacy Windows outside of the tech industry and also outside the US.

superuser2 10y ago

Warning: anecdata. Nearly every traditional small/medium business with Windows machines has an onsite domain controller and Exchange server. Any store with computer cash registers probably has a Windows server in the back that they're talking to. Ditto for card access control systems, parking garage gates, some elevators, some HVAC systems. Every doctor's office, chain retail store, car dealership, and cube farm is likely serviced by at least one Windows server (and also likely a Cisco PBX running IOS). Linux is dominant for web backends in tech companies, and has some penetration among large non-tech enterprises for Java apps, but there is really a staggering amount of Windows out there in the non-tech world, and Linux is not the default server platforms often as you'd think. (Plus enterprises may be less hip to virtualization, and run larger server counts for similar workloads). Rust belt cities have vibrant Windows Server consulting/service ecosystems that spend a few service hours a month on a given small business. Those companies have maybe one or two techs who did a little bit of Linux once.

tracker1 10y ago
There's also a surprising number of C#/.Net application deployments for internal usage and Windows is the default deployment strategy for most of them. Even well outside the rustbelt. Phoenix, for example, often has more .Net than Java dev going on.

Skunkleton 10y ago

If you limit your search to 'servers on the public internet', then linux's share goes up to 80-90%. This number probably includes all of the non-public servers. Or they made it up.