I was reading Information Week's report [PDF] on the Linux market. Information Week Research conducted a study to measure corporate use of Linux and Open Source software in January 2005. The results are stunning. "Nearly 90% of companies we surveyed anticipate a jump in server licenses for Linux. No other product comes close to these expectations – not Windows, Macintosh or Unix." The report predicts that "Linux server and PC licenses are expected to climb dramatically over the next two years, due in part to the perceived need for an alternative to Windows." 

How widely deployed is Linux? Well, nearly half of the sites we interviewed use Linux on servers or PCs. Twenty-three percent have rollout plans for the next 12 months. Another 23% although using open source products have no current plans for Linux. Low cost and the lack of licensing fees are the primary reasons why companies deploy Linux on PCs and servers. However, concern about the vulnerability of Microsoft products is also speeding up Linux adoption. Of the sites using Linux on PCs, 73% are doing so in response to Windows security issues while 69% seek an alternative to Windows. Two-thirds of sites state that Windows security concerns are driving Linux adoption on servers while nearly three in five server users want another option to Windows.

Many Linux sites cite its reliability, performance, and wide availability of development tools on the Web. Linux reliability is mentioned as a key adoption driver by more companies in 2005 than it was 2 years ago.

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