Hello:
My two cents worth here: I've been programming on
and writing CGI for windows for years. I have found
windows NT servers to be unstable and undependable.
(Given the Microsoft Certification programs may be
worthy, they are expensive.)
Thus I am migrating to Linux, and programming for
Linux servers. I think that rebol is on the right track here
in targeting multiple OS's. Also, I'm in the process of
evaluating Win4Lin, could be the start of merging OS's.
More to the point: We may see a windows platform
with a Linux Kernel someday.
Oh! and who does own CNET? And let's re-evaluate
market share base on servers, not desktops.
Inquiring minds want to know.....
-Tim
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> SHORT VERSION: The issue is not how many boxes, but how many of the
> really important boxes!
>
> LONG VERSION: Well... mumble!
>
> I have a real problem with numbers such as the following (and my
> problem is with CNET, not the messenger;-)
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >
> > Market share of OS's as of July 1999
> >
> > Windows Flavours 90.5 %
> > Mac 5 %
> > Unix Flavours 2.9 %
> >
> > Total percentage of these OS flavours - 98.4 %
> > Total percentage of all other platforms - 1.6 %
> >
> > 3 Platforms... Win 95, Win 98 and NT account for 85.6
> > % of the market.
> >
> > Source CNET(July 1999):
> > http://www.canada.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-345114.html
> >
>
> "Total percentage" measured by what?
>
> Number of boxes sold with that O/S installed? Retail sales of
> that O/S? Breakdown of people called via random phone sampling
> and asked, "How many computers do you have and what O/S do you
> run on each?" Total dollar volume of installed base? ...
>
> You get the idea.
>
> Now, how many users (dial-in or otherwise) running w95 can one
> decent-sized Unix/Linux server support? If your answer is at
> least 30, then 90% of the boxes running wxx vs. 3% of the boxes
> running Unix sounds like breakeven to me!
>
> I recently saw a "report" by a "technology consulting firm" (I
> hope the quotes convey even a fraction of my sarcastic view of
> those folks and their work product) which dismissed Linux as
> insignificant BECAUSE OF the low total $ value of installed
> copies. However, later in the same report they mentioned the
> fact that it was common for users to download Linux from the
> 'Net, get CDs burned by friends, or for a business to buy one
> CD set and install on multiple machines. Am I the only one
> who sees the incredible irony and self-contradiction here?
>
> Other sources can be found which deal with more focused views
> of the installed base of O/S (or other) software. For example,
> last time I looked Unix/Linux was on the overwhelming majority
> of Internet servers.
>
> I'd rather have 25% of THAT market than 100% of the Radio Shack
> customer base, if I wanted to change the shape of the software
> world.
>
> >
> > Rather than getting into the whole "Microsoft Sucks"
> > debate ...
> >
>
> I wasn't aware that this was even remotely debatable! ;-)
>
> -jn-
