Linux- Gaining Ground

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

1. By the late 1990s, the open source movement was gaining popularity. It developed into one of the most powerful movements in the software industry. Analyze the reasons for the growth of the open source movement and, in particular, the popularity of Linux.

2. BusinessWeek magazine stated: “Linux's sudden success owes much to the fact that Dell, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, and, most notably, IBM, have hitched themselves to the Linux bandwagon.” Discuss the reasons why these companies extended support to Linux in a big way?

3. In the mid-1990s, Microsoft dismissed Linux as software written by hobbyists, but by 2001, Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer called it the ‘threat number one.'Do you think Linux is a threat to Windows, and do you think it can be a substitute for Windows? What should Microsoft do to arrest Linux's growing popularity?

4. Though support for Linux has increased in recent years, doubts still persist on its acceptability. What are the problems facing Linux that could impede its future growth? What, in your opinion, is the future of Linux and the open source movement?

EXHIBIT I
LINUX USAGE IN INDIA

STATE/GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT	LINUX USAGE
State Government of Maharashtra	Land record system, accounts & treasuries, employment exchange, desktops.
State Government of Madhya Pradesh	Treasuries & accounts, schools, desktops
State Government of Uttar Pradesh	Treasuries, desktops
Delhi State Government	Desktops
Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)	Messaging & workflow solutions
Ministry of Railways	ERP Solutions
NIC	Database applications
ER&DCI	Billing applications
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (Department of Telecommunications)	Billing applications
State Government of Andhra Pradesh	Stamp registration
State Government of Karnataka	File tracking system
State Government of West Bengal	Schools, desktops
National Thermal & Power Corporation (Department of Energy)	Messaging & Collaboration
Department of Posts & Telegraph	Parcel Tracking.