Talking technology – Linux

What do a penguin and a Finnish software developer have in common? They both love Linux – and they are not alone

Since 1991 when Linus Torvalds started developing the ‘open source’ operating system as a hobby, it has grown to become what Bill Gates recently acknowledged as ‘Microsoft’s biggest competitor’.

Although it is frequently referred to as the ‘free’ operating system, Linux is rarely without cost. Although it is created collectively by thousands of volunteer programmers, who do not charge for their labour, most corporates obtain their software from specialist suppliers such as Debian, SuSe and Red Hat – and they pay for them.

So far, open source has had its biggest successes at the expense of its close relative Unix; Linux is much more popular on servers than on the desktop where Microsoft traditionally rules. Early adopters tended to restrict Linux to infrastructure implementations in areas such as file and print sharing, firewalls, and web serving. But if an application is accessed through a browser it doesn’t matter if it’s driven from a server running Unix, Linux, Microsoft or Macintosh. So businesses can make huge cost-savings on hardware, maintenance and upgrade costs, by replacing high-cost PCs with low-cost terminals.

Open source can also help minimise security risks such as viruses, simply because the people who write them prefer to target the world’s richest business mogul. All of this has prompted entire countries to take action, and major software suppliers have followed suit. From Australia to South America, government departments are investigating open source as a way of reducing their reliance on any one company or country, while IBM and Oracle are among the technology giants to make major commitments to Linux.

It has to be said, that accurate ownership figures are hard to come by, and most people who are familiar with Microsoft will not find the prospect of switching to Linux terribly appealing. However, in areas of the world where many have yet to get their own PC, the choice between a Linux box you can afford to buy and a Microsoft box you can’t even afford to look at, is a no-brainer. About half the cost of a PC can typically be attributed to the cost of the software that’s bundled with it.

By encouraging government departments and private businesses to adopt Linux, countries such as South Africa, China, Japan, and South Korea are also encouraging investment in their own IT industries. Most of the money spent with a local Linux supplier will stay in the country, rather than winging its way back to Microsoft in the US.

 

"So far, open source has had its biggest successes at the expense of its close relative Unix; Linux is much more popular on servers than on the desktop where Microsoft traditionally rules"