The benefits of ubiquitous Linux

Please understand that while the article below is an opinion piece, it may or may not be in sync with my feelings. Regardless, it did prove to be a great read on Linux growth in the IT world.

Linux continues to make highly visible inroads into IT infrastructure, with IDC reporting 14 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth in Linux server shipments through the third quarter of last year. Less visible to both IT professionals and casual observers alike is the equally impressive penetration of Linux in a wide range of client devices, from routers to firewalls, from private branch exchanges to voice-over-IP phones, from printers to imaging devices and from thin clients to smart mobile phones.

In earlier embedded applications, end users had no reason to care what sort of software came deployed in devices: Systems and peripherals either functioned well or did not, and the embedded operating system and applications that powered them remained out of sight and out of mind. In the past three years, however, underlying Linux and open-source deployment in intelligent IT infrastructure devices has grown to levels equaling or surpassing server-side use. According to Venture Development Corp., 29% of embedded 32- and 64-bit application designs were built using Linux in 2005, with communications being the top application area. This ubiquitous adoption opens new avenues for IT professionals to control and customize formerly fixed-function devices in their fleets, with tangible benefits realizable in performance, security and manageability…. Source: Computer World

[tags]ubiquitous linux,systems,peripherals,it professionals,server-side,voice-over-ip[/tags]