5 years ago: Linux ready for corporate use

19.05.99: Linux is ready for corporate use, say silicon.com readers in a poll. An overwhelming majority (71 per cent) voted that the operating system can meet the needs of businesses, while only 25 per cent disagreed.

However, more than half of the Linux supporters say it's not ready for the desktop, because of lack of support and applications. Industry observers from Bloor Research and IBM agree with reader opinion.

19.05.04: In at least one respect, not much has changed for Linux - it's still thought of as a back-end corporate OS, not a desktop option.

What has changed is that Linux has become more widely used by businesses than five years ago. It's a popular operating system for servers, and it has seen support from big-time business hardware makers such as IBM and Sun Microsystems.

The desktop is another matter. Windows is estimated to hold around 90 per cent of the desktop market, putting Linux and all other OSes in single-digit territory.

Linux distributor Red Hat is making a renewed push for the desktop, having recently released its Red Hat Desktop product. The move puts the company in direct competition with Microsoft for end users' computers - not just servers.

The main change for Linux on the desktop in recent years is that a number of top-notch applications have appeared, such as the Mozilla web browser and the OpenOffice office suite, which can compete with Microsoft's offerings.

Linux and other open-source software are proving popular in emerging markets, so squelching the Linux threat on the desktop may be a harder battle for Microsoft than once thought.