Firefox market share bounces back 6684

I would say never is a rather strong term. Samba seems rather popular. I've personally replaced windows file-print servers with samba on linux in three different client networks. I did not have to sell the idea either, they made the decision and then the jobs were referred to me. In one case, the decision to dump windows servers in favor of linux was part of a corporate wide server consolidation project. In the other two, both were telecoms with a strong Unix history. As Samba matured, they jumped at the chance to eliminate their Windows workgroup servers. One of these clients consolidated two IT groups, one supporting the Unix-phone-Internet infrastructure, the other supporting the back office Windows infrastructure. I was hired to teach an intro to Unix clbutt to smooth the transition to Unix and Linux.

Actually, Microsoft has twice been forced to sign consent decrees because the court found them guilty of harming compebreastion through the abuse of their monopoly. The fact that their punishment has been watered down and ineffectual does not change the findings of the court cases.

I am not particularly worried about that. The market looks to be sorting things out.

Odd, I see ever increasing Linux and open source adoption in reports from IDC, Forrester, etc. We must be reading different reports. More importantly, I see the evidence every day in my work. I used to do a mix of Windows and Unix consulting jobs in roughly equal measure. Now I spend most of my time in Linux consulting, with the remainder being Java development. I've been stumbling across more and more Linux, often in very unexpected places. OpenOffice is also showing up, and a huge number of people I talk to are dumping IE and moving to FireFox.

The interesting thing is how much of this is 'off the radar screen'. Linux is posting huge gains even in the ways we can measure (server sales, corporate support agreements, etc), but that ignores the mbuttive underground deployment that is taking place. Redeployed windows boxes find new lives as Linux firewalls or thin clients. A single ISO converts several dozen systems. I've seen this happen multiple times.

Don't you Linux nay-sayers learn from history? This is exactly how server linux surprised so many. Techies were deploying in stealth mode to avoid the hbuttles of getting purchase orders approved... and now every major OEM sells linux pre-installs to their business customers.

The exact same thing is now happening on the desktop. The exact same market forces are in play. The future history is already written, it only needs time to play out. Claims to the contrary are increasingly sounding like that hick who goes to the zoo, and upon seeing a giraffe for the first time, declares "there aint no such animal!"

The evidence is right in front of you. Open your freakin eyes!

Later,

Thad