* Linux is No. 2 in server and operating system shipments
The numbers are in, and Linux is No. 2 in the worldwide server and operating system market. But the gap between No. 2 and No. 1 (i.e., Microsoft) continues to widen.
According to recent research by IDC, the server operating system market is a two-horse race between Linux and Windows. The research firm says Microsoft Windows was still the dominant server platform, accounting for 55.1% of all server operating system shipments in 2002. Microsoft managed to grab 4.6% more of the market compared to 2001. Linux accounted for 23.1% of shipments in 2002, up from 22.4% the year before. The IDC study did not account for free shipments or downloads of Linux servers.
In terms of revenue, combined Unix sales led the market, with 31.1%. Microsoft’s share of the revenue pie was 16.7%, followed by Novell NetWare, with 4.3%. Linux revenue made up less than 1% of the market.
In terms of revenue growth, however, Linux and Microsoft were the only two operating systems that were up from the year before – Linux grew 17.6% while Microsoft grew at around 8%; Unix and Novell revenue shrank by 9% and 12%, respectively.
On the client side, Microsoft accounted for 93% of the market – no surprise – while Mac OS made up 2.9%. Linux came in third just behind Apple’s OS, with 2.8% of client shipments. IDC predicts that Linux will eclipse Mac in desktop shipments by next year.
