News 

Tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of the Linux operating system. It started life as a hobby for geeks, but now commands the attention and budgets of big business. IBM and Intel have invested in the OS, while some major PC manufacturers have flirted with pre-installation on business machines.

But not everyone is happy with Linux's success. In 1999 Microsoft dubbed Linux inferior to Windows NT and posted a document dispelling the 'myths' surrounding the maverick operating system. It called into question the stability and performance of Linux, while also criticising the low level of hardware support - "Linux makes no sense at the desktop".

In reality, Microsoft could see that Linux was a real threat, particularly to its back-end business. The previous year leaked Microsoft engineering files, known as The Halloween Documents, were published on the Internet. The author wrote that open source software in general was a, "direct, short-term revenue and platform threat to Microsoft, particularly in server space."

ADVERTISEMENT

He added that, "commercial quality can be achieved / exceeded by OSS [Open Source Software] projects."

A solution to the Linux threat, as posed by the engineer Vinod Valloppillil, would be to take networking protocols and tie them into the operating system. Otherwise, he fears, "Linux is on track to eventually own the x86 UNIX market."

In September 1998, Intel made the then dramatic move to overtly support Linux development, a change from its previous position cosily snuggled up to Microsoft. Specifically, the company bought a minority share in Linux company Red Hat. Wintel, as over-seasoned IT observers often snort, was beginning to look a little shaky. Netscape followed suit the same month and the following year Red Hat attracted such investors as Dell, IBM, Oracle, Compaq and Novell. Hardly a sign that Linux's strengths were mythical...

Despite Linux's undeniable strengths and positioning, its roots were less ambitious. On the 25th August 1991 Linus Torvalds posted a message to the comp.os.minix newsgroup saying, "I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." Two months later the 0.02 kernel was released. The current, stable kernel version is 2.4.

Linux can now be found running on such diverse systems as Web pads, PDAs, Macs, PC desktops, Web servers, in parallel processing clusters, air traffic control systems, telephones, video cameras and wrist watches. It will even appear aboard NASA space missions, when development of a Pentium III-powered in-flight robot has been completed. The question is, will you be running it on your desktop before another 10 years have elapsed?