http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/50676.html
Unix fans have been on the ropes of late. SGI declared bankruptcy earlier this month. In April, ongoing financial problems at Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW)
led to an executive shakeup. It's not surprising to see the two
highest-profile Unix-identified vendors in trouble. Things are not
looking that bright for Unix anywhere.
Although a few folks at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)
might think they've had a hand in Sun's and SGI's misfortunes, they'd
be wrong. Linux is the culprit. As in some Greek myth, Linux, the
unwanted child of Unix, is putting Unix vendors to death.
Helps to Be Lucky
A look at the Top500 list of supercomputers tells the tale best. In 1998, Unix machines from Sun and SGI combined for 46 percent of the 500 fastest computers in the world. Linux accounted for one (0.2 percent).
In 2005, Sun had 0.8 percent -- or four systems -- and SGI had 3.6 percent, while 72 percent of the Top500 ran Linux. IBM (NYSE: IBM)
saw its prominence rise to the point where its systems represented 44
percent of that prestigious list in 2005, up from 21 percent in 1998,
all because of its investment in high-end Linux systems.
Linux's success in high-end, scientific and technical computing, like Unix's before it, preceded its success in the data center. Once Linux proved itself by executing the most complex calculations possible, IT managers quickly grasped that it could easily serve Web pages and run payroll.
Naturally, it helps to be lucky: Free, downloadable Linux's star began to rise during one of the longest downturns in IT history. With companies doing more with less, one thing they could dump was Unix.
Sort of. Linux, after all, is Unix, but without a closed licensing agreement. Unix, once the byword for "open systems," has become a synonym for "proprietary." Compared with Windows, of course, Unix remains an "open" platform. Compared with Linux, whose source code has been available to everyone from the get-go, Unix looks closed and proprietary.
Comeback Stories Abound
The problem for Sun and, to a lesser extent, SGI is that for too long, they competed against a brain trust in Redmond, Wash., and not the global brain trust that was creating Linux. Therefore, they weren't prepared for how quickly it undercut their business. Linux has forced both SGI and Sun to adopt a "we do Linux better" strategy. The word "Unix" is never uttered.
IT shops with big Unix operations need not worry. Linux, as most of you already know, can be complementary to or a fine replacement for Unix. Staff skills translate over immediately. Applications that were written to take advantage of, say, cool Solaris-only facilities will be an issue, but not an unresolvable one. Access to packaged software is far better with Linux than Unix.
I don't intend for this to be an obituary for Sun and SGI. Both
companies can come roaring back. This industry has more comeback
stories than Hollywood; look at IBM and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) . However, I do think we are seeing the passing of vendor-specific Unix.
Ironically, Sun and SGI have developed and backed many industry standards and used a lot of open source
technologies in their products, creating an intellectual climate among
their in-house engineers that has fostered sharing with the software
community.
If you look to see who's contributing code to various open source projects, you'll find many programmers who work at SGI, Sun, IBM, Hewlett Packard and others. They may make their living at companies that depend on Unix, but they work to further the goals of open source, of which the primary beneficiary is Linux, the killer of Unix.
Yes, there's something of a Greek myth in this story.
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