* Linux 2.6 kernel, Microsoft vs. Linux studies, LSB 2.0 emerges
Looking back at all the Linux stories in 2004 still elicits eye-popping, head-scratching and, sometimes, fist-pounding reaction. So as the year closes, here’s a rundown of some of the biggest stories in Linux and open source
It never seems to get old. While I know we’re past the “gee whiz” phase in analyzing Linux and open-source’s growth in the industry, looking back at all the stories in the industry in 2004 still elicits eye-popping, head-scratching and, sometimes, fist-pounding reaction. So as 2004 closes, here’s a rundown of some of the biggest stories in Linux and open source for 2004:
* Linux 2.6 kernel: The first truly enterprise-level kernel
Although the Linux 2.6 kernel was actually released for production at the end of last year, 2004 was when the software update made its waves. Deemed as the first truly enterprise-level kernel, SuSE was the first to come out with a 2.6-based enterprise server platform, and Red Hat soon followed with its own. The kernel was designed with scale in mind, supporting as many as 64 processors and 64G bytes of memory. It was the first major revision for Linux since 2001.
* Linux Standards Base 2.0 emerges
The Free Standards Group released LSB 2.0 specifications in February, outlining the common DNA Linux systems should have in order to call themselves Linux. Some of the new additions include an application binary interface (ABI) for C++, which expands software interoperability; and official support of 32- and 64-bit platforms from AMD and Intel, as well as support for the IBM PowerPC 64, S390 and S390X platforms. With the disappearance of the United Linux effort, LSB proved to be the real force for preventing Linux fragmentation.
* SCO eats its young
The SCO Group added a curious new tactic to its Linux lawsuit publicity campaign by suing its own customers. SCO sued AutoZone and DaimlerChrysler – both SCO customers – saying the two vendors were violating their software licensing restrictions by using Linux, which SCO claims violates its own Unix software patents. If anyone questioned whether SCO was serious about making itself look ridiculous in its anti-Linux quest, this was the answer.
* Linux-based routing returns
The Extensible Open Router Platform (XORP) emerged in May as a potential open-source alternative to Cisco IOS and other proprietary platforms for routers. Developed by the International Computer Science Institute, which is affiliated with the University of California at Berkeley, XORP runs on Linux or FreeBSD and supports most standard routing protocols, such as BGP, OSPF, RIP and Multicast. The project fills a hole left by the defunct Linux Router Project.
*Anti-Linux studies Microsoft
Research firms hired by Microsoft and those suspected of working for Microsoft, all came out with myriad studies in 2004, claming Linux was more expensive, less secure and had slower performance than Windows.
Microsoft turned up the heat on Linux with heavy marketing for its getthefacts.com Web site. Meanwhile, new studies seem to come every month from firms such as the Yankee Group, Forrester Research, BearingPoint and mi2g, all with claims that Linux was more expensive to support in enterprises, and the software was more prone to viruses and worms. Needless to say, readers of this newsletter were skeptical. How did the market respond? IT buyers went out and spent more than $1 billion on Linux servers in the third quarter alone in 2004, according to IDC.
* Firefox lights up
Just as the number of Internet Explorer users fed up with having their home pages turned into porn sites and shady search engines reached critical mass, along came the open-source Firefox 1.0. One of the most popular browsers for Linux, Firefox grabbed headlines and a point off IE’s marketshare – something that hadn’t been done in years. The Mozilla-based browser’s improved security and interface features (all hail tabbed browsing) proved a formidable competitor to IE.
Next time: Linux predictions for 2005.
