Dell's Numbers, were not there

Posted Oct 28, 2007 0:25 UTC (Sun) by conz (guest, #4784)
In reply to: Dell's Numbers, were not there by drag
Parent article: Is Linux really losing market share to Windows? (Linux-Watch)

The situation you describe is a common one, particularly this aspect:

But what is going to happen if you have a whole-hog Microsoft ecosystem like the one I described above and you try to replace any portion of it with a Linux-based solution?

Yes, desktops are still, and will remain for a long time, the critical leverage fulcrum for platform success, be it Linux/FOSS or Microsoft's.

Yes, Microsoft vertically-integrated stack are essentially impregnable.

However, the percentage of organisations which are this locked in to the Microsoft stack is small. That leaves the larger part of the market open for us to offer alternative, Linux-based solutions.

Also, the more mainstream desktop Linux users, the more overall comfort there will be by IT pros helping their organisations move to FOSS.

For the equivalent of breaking larger iceberg chunks off the great Microsoft ice-sheet (ie, vertically-integrated hegemony), look to the various governments worldwide, many of which are shifting to ODF and FOSS. The more of these that break away, the more their constituent businesses will follow, the more that this will weaken the structural integrity of the Microsoft ice-sheet. Which is why any and all such moves must be strongly encouraged.