Enter The Linux
Linux Certification - a free, open source clone of Unix - has evolved from a curiosity to a mainstream operating system, one that some say could unseat Microsoft's Windows NT ambitions. The question is whether Linux is a long-term proposition, or fadware or nicheware that will go the way of Next Software Inc.'s Next OS, IBM's OS/2, Apple's Mac OS or other previous alternatives. The Linux certification model has derived strength from 2 things: a critical mass of enthusiastic programmers and a unified mission to overturn the current software industry. Its business opportunities are more pragmatic: 1. servers for e-mail, 2. Web hosting, and 3. other networking functions.
Like the Web and the Internet before it, Linux certification burst upon the scene with a simple promise: Open standards and open platforms mean new market opportunities-opportunities unavailable to businesses pursuing traditional proprietary technology strategies.
But can companies make a viable business from a free operating system whose developers must share all their innovations? Can customers rely on an operating system and industry that is essentially a cooperative venture driven by both for-profit companies and independent programmers donating their time and expertise at no cost?
We think we're sitting on the crest of a giant tidal wave. This collaborative, open source model produces better software more economically and has plenty of ways to continue growing. But not every surfer riding the current Linux wave is as fully stoked. Linux certification, while cheaper and more stable than some competitive proprietary systems, is only one powerful tool available to the modern IT craftsman. An IBM survey of its Fortune 1000 customer base found that Linux was just one of many operating systems currently catching the eye of IT managers. The fact that Linux certification has become one of these supported operating systems is no mean feat. But will it become more than simply one tool in the IS toolkit? The outcome is most important to companies that see Linux as the basis for their business. Add to that hundreds if not thousands-of Linux consultants. Linux's ultimate success also matters to customers considering Linux as an operating system on which to run parts of their business.
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