Microsoft Vs Linux

FINAL GROUP ASSIGNMENT

In recent years, Microsoft has seen a small portion of its market share be swept away by the open source movement. LINUX, an open source, free version of its predecessor UNIX has slowly made its way into the marketplace and into the hardware of users around the world. Particularly in the web server arena, LINUX machines are touted as easier to use, more capable, and definitely cheaper. The use of LINUX-based operating system shells, and LINUX-based software that can run on Windows is growing.

Cost and Market Share

When comparing and contrasting the market share of LINUX operating system and Microsoft Windows, one must break down the results by operating system type. Windows has many different releases and versions, from desktop operating system to server operating system. For this analysis we collected data from W3schools, an online web education center. W3Schools provides information for all level of administration as well as statistical data collected over the years. While the below numbers may not be 100% accurate, they are provide a basic snapshot of operating system trends since 2003.

2006 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT W2003 LINUX

March 72.9% 11.9% 2.0% 0.3% 1.8% 3.4%

February 73.3% 12.3% 2.1% 0.3% 1.8% 3.4%

January 72.3% 13.1% 2.4% 0.3% 1.7% 3.3%

2005 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT W2003 LINUX

December 71.6% 13.6% 2.6% 0.3% 1.7% 3.2%

November 71.0% 14.6% 2.7% 0.4% 1.7% 3.3%

October 70.2% 15.0% 2.8% 0.4% 1.6% 3.3%

September 69.2% 15.8% 3.2% 0.5% 1.7% 3.3%

August 66.3% 17.5% 3.2% 0.6% 1.7% 3.3%

July 65.3% 17.7% 3.9% 0.6% 1.6% 3.5%

June 64.9% 19.1% 3.6% 0.7% 1.5% 3.5%

May 64.5% 19.4% 3.9% 0.8% 1.4% 3.3%

April 64.0% 19.7% 4.1% 0.8% 1.4% 3.3%

March 63.1% 20.2% 4.7% 0.9% 1.4% 3.2%

February 62.0% 21.1% 5.1% 0.9% 1.3% 3.2%

January 61.3% 21.6% 5.3% 1.0% 1.2% 3.2%

2004 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT Win95 LINUX

December 59.8% 23.5% 5.4% 1.1% 0.1% 3.1%

November 59.1% 23.7% 5.6% 1.2% 0.1% 3.1%

October 57.8% 25.0% 6.0% 1.3% 0.2% 3.1%

September 55.9% 26.2% 6.4% 1.5% 0.2% 3.1%

August 53.2% 28.1% 7.0% 1.8% 0.2% 3.0%

July 52.5% 28.4% 7.5% 1.9% 0.2% 3.1%

June 51.2% 29.6% 8.0% 2.0% 0.3% 2.9%

May 51.0% 29.6% 8.2% 2.0% 0.3% 2.9%

April 49.7% 30.2% 8.7% 2.2% 0.3% 2.7%

March 48.0% 31.1% 9.4% 2.4% 0.4% 2.6%

February 46.0% 32.8% 9.5% 2.9% 0.4% 2.6%

January 44.1% 33.6% 10.4% 3.0% 0.4% 2.7%

2003 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT Win95 LINUX

December 43.6% 35.2% 10.5% 3.4% 0.4% 2.7%

November 42.6% 36.3% 10.9% 3.5% 0.4% 2.6%

October 39.4% 37.8% 11.5% 4.0% 0.5% 2.5%

September 38.0% 37.9% 12.1% 4.1% 0.5% 2.4%

August 36.3% 39.9% 12.6% 4.6% 0.5% 2.4%

July 33.9% 40.6% 12.6% 5.3% 0.6% 2.3%

June 32.8% 40.4% 13.4% 5.4% 0.6% 2.3%

May 31.4% 41.0% 13.9% 5.8% 0.7% 2.2%

April 30.8% 40.9% 14.7% 6.0% 0.7% 2.1%

March 29.1% 41.9% 14.8% 6.6% 0.8% 2.2%

Platforms that count for less than 0.5% are not listed.

Windows continues to dominate the market with its XP operating system. There are many factors that contribute to the success of Microsoft. Today most every PC one purchases from a retail vendor comes with some type of Microsoft operating system pre-installed, along with a bundle of additional MS packages. Additionally, many office organizations across the globe use Microsoft on the company PCs. This induces a familiarity with Microsoft and encourages users to choose Microsoft when selecting a home operating system.

LINUX has maintained an even 2-3.5% market share across all platforms. One would surmise that the cost difference between Microsoft and LINUX would be a huge carrot for users to switch. However, the LINUX operating system seems cumbersome for many entry-level users, and confusing to the point that they do not want to switch and abandon what knowledge they have gained about the Microsoft operating system.

Talk to any person familiar with either Microsoft operating system or LINUX and she will give you countless reasons why one is better than the other. One main difference between the two is cost. Both have their own set of complications with pricing and what is included in that price. The LINUX "kernel" is free. However, any options above the raw kernel incur monetary charges. Microsoft, who is in business to produce and sell software, offers very little free-of-charge and the company has implemented security tactics to ensure a user pays for the use of Microsoft software. For comparison purposes, this research team has collected data on Microsoft's Windows 2003 Server Suite, and the Red Hat Enterprise version of LINUX.

The LINUX kernel operating system can be found with out a charge on any number of websites. Costs are incurred when purchasing shells, which are offered by a number of vendors. These shells, offer additional features such as GUI interfaces, tools and utilities, and applications specific to the flavor of LINUX. Red Hat is the perfect example. This is a corporation that sells its version of LINUX commercially for enterprise use. Below is a chart from Red Hat's website depicting the Platform and Service pricing for Enterprise Solutions.

Subscription pricing

Basic