Mumbai:
According to Gartner's Hype Cycle for Linux 2005,
over the past two years, Linux has matured as an established
operating system environment, primarily on one- to four-processors.
However, Gartner found that for eight processors and beyond,
Linux must demonstrate performance, security and application
proof points based on the 2.6 version of the kernel and
that the biggest test continues to be whether it can function
as a data centre server for mission-critical applications.
The Gartner Hype Cycle for Linux 2005 is
a graphical representation of the maturity, adoption and
business application of Linux. The Hype Cycle indicates
that Linux is, as a mission-critical system, almost half
way along the technology trigger - the first phase of
a Hype Cycle in which the product has generated significant
press interest. This represents some progress from 2004,
even though leading-edge organisations are at an early
phase in deploying it.
By the end of 2005, Gartner expects increased
commercialisation of Linux, such as improved storage and
systems management. At this time, Linux is used primarily
for WebSphere and infrastructure applications on mainframes,
Web services on blades and racks, computer clusters and
some Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) systems.
On the desktop, the positions are based
on Linux's functional use, and on its degree of complexity
and cost for mainstream businesses, mainstream consumers
and data entry. Data entry is the most promising, having
passed the 'trough of disillusionment', a period when
a technology does not live up to its over-inflated expectations
and rapidly becomes unfashionable.
Mainstream business use of Linux is nearing the 'peak
of inflated expectations', where the costs of migration
may exceed the cost benefits. This phase is characterised
by over-enthusiasm and unrealistic projections when flurries
of well publicised activity by technology leaders results
in some successes, but more failures, as the technology
is pushed to its limits.
The positions on the Gartner Hype Cycle for Linux 2005
take into account factors such as the open-source development
community, the conversion of open-source software into
products by system and storage vendors, support and marketing
strategies of Linux distributors and hardware vendors,
and the costs required to move
from legacy platforms. Some markets, such as blade and
compute-intensive clustered servers, will be quite advanced;
others will fall behind because of lack of richness in
manageability and availability.
|