In a recent interview with CNET's Matt Asay, Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation, discusses what is positioning Linux for growth in the coming decade, what affect industry consolidation may have on open source development, and what he sees looming ahead for Linux and open source in 2010.
"Linux provides better value than Windows, and in tough times this difference makes all the difference," Zemlin states. According to IDC, the largest increase in Linux adoption took place in 2001/2002 during the tech bubble bust, and since then, it has become mainstream, Zemlin says. Pointing out that the current recession around the world is "quite different" from the bubble and bust of a decade ago, he adds that IDC already restated their growth forecast upwards for Linux due to the recession. Zemlin also expects analyst research to show an even greater growth rate for Linux over the last couple of years as it becomes more attuned to accounting for unpaid Linux and open source use.
"But the recession isn't what's positioning Linux for growth in the coming decade," Zemlin tells Asay. "With or without the current economic climate, Linux is the only operating system (OS) that can help OEMs achieve any margin at all from devices that will soon be free."
Read the CNET article, "Industry transformation depends on Linux," here.