Breaking Down the Linux Markets

tripwire45 · Aug 16, 2005

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I like this article because it separates the different markets for Linux in a nice, bite-sized way, showing the strong and the "not-so-strong" markets.

You've seen them before. The titles vary but the material all boils down to two topics: "Linux sucks because I had problems getting to work right" and "Linux sucks because it doesn't have have 'x' so it will never be accepted." The former usually has the person trying to install Linux on a new laptop while the latter is usually about different installers or Microsoft Office. They may be right, but I don't think so.

These comments usually focus on what I will call the "home desktop segment" or the "gamer segment" and completely miss the characteristics of those segments. Aunt Agnes (in the home desktop segment) is not going to change her OS on a whim. This is also the segment that collects all the spyware and gives rise to the hordes of spam zombies.

Now, a tiny bit of history. Microsoft did not start off with a server OS. They provided the OS for IBM's PC. They got into the server room via the desktop and the desktop is still their bastion. Even today, most people become familiar with Microsoft's desktop products long before they work with any of Microsoft's server products.

Linux is taking the opposite approach. Linux is starting in the server room and slowly moving into the desktop segments. Emphasis on the "slowly" right now. It takes a lot of effort to move into a monopoly and Microsoft still has their desktop monopoly (yes they do, the court said they did, and the appeals court did not contradict that). In order to understand this better, you have to break down the various characteristics of the desktop and group them into identifiable segments. I've broken them down into four segments (server, corp/gov office, home desktop, and gamer/power user) based upon the characteristics I will identify (including their incentives to run Linux).
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Breaking Down the Linux Markets

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