Linux- Gaining Ground

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Evolution of Linux Contd...

Linux was used on 3Com's handheld PalmPilot computer. It was seen that the clustering technology¹⁴ of Linux made it possible to combine a large number of Linux machines into a one parallel computer and also allowed it to be used on different platforms. This gave it an edge over other o/s. In 1996, Linux was used at Los Alamos National Laboratory to run 68 PCs as a combined processing computer to replicate atomic shock waves at very low cost.

Analysts attributed the success of Linux to the open source movement, which enabled Torvalds to improve the o/s with help of other programmers around the globe. By 2001, Linux was acclaimed as cheaper, and also free from software bugs or glitches as compared to other o/s such as Windows and Unix. Threatened by the Penguin In the mid-1990s, Linux gained respectability in corporate circles and was supported by several computer companies like IBM, Oracle, HP, Compaq and Dell. It was felt that the main players who would be affected by Linux were Microsoft and Sun Microsystems (Sun). Analysts felt that with the free availability of the source code, Linux would be a major threat to Windows and to Sun's operating system, Solaris. Customers might slowly shift to Linux as support from the big names in the industry gave Linux greater credibility in the business world.

Initially Linux was used only in low-end workstations; however, with support from IBM, HP, Compaq and Dell, consumers would probably move to installing Linux in critical operations also. Major companies in the world announced their support of Linux. In 1998, Oracle started offering Linux versions for its software and even IBM announced support to software that would run on the Linux o/s. IBM supported Apache, a leading web-server program, which worked on Linux. HP and other major players in the industry also announced their support to Linux and announced huge budgets for Linux research.

Till early 1998, Microsoft tried to sideline Linux, saying it was an o/s developed by hobbyists with no technical credibility. However, in August 1998, internal memos of Microsoft, which were leaked to the web - the 'Halloween documents'- made it clear that, though Microsoft's top management was not acknowledging the growing threat from Linux, its employees perceived Linux as a major threat. Memos from an engineer, Vinod Valloppillil (Valloppillil), highlighted the threat from Linux.

The memos said that the open-source movement "poses a direct, short-term revenue and platform threat to Microsoft, particularly in server space."¹⁵ It was also mentioned that Linux was becoming popular due to the reliability factor, on which Microsoft Windows was struggling.

The memo also highlighted the fact that due to its open source code, Linux exploited the advantage of a large number of developers working on debugging the software, and this minimized the problem of bugs in the o/s. Said Valloppillil, "Commercial quality can be achieved/exceeded by open-source software projects."

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14] Clustering is a process of listing a single page from a web site within a search engine or directory's search results, generally used to provide more relevant results.
15] Breaking Windows - David Bank, The Free Press.