The middle-aged OS is not expected to die any time soon, just slowly fade away.
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Unix At 40: Hanging on Despite Strong Linux, Windows Challenges
READER FEEDBACK
Scott Wed, 2009-09-30 09:16
Paul,
I suspect that someone with a solid Windows and (potentially) Linux background would write an article such as this. Given the lack of any bio on you here or elsewhere, I can only suppose that you have little experience in the Unix arena itself. Likewise, Gartner analysts tend to have a strong Windows and weak Linux bias, which generally devalues their opinion.
One frequently overlooked platform with a Unix base is the BSD platform. I won't bother with the details of its very long history nor its extensive capabilities. As your article points out, Unices such as BSD are used frequently to perform the heavy lifting that Linux and Windows cannot.
Yet relying simply on the marketing numbers of commercial sales is foolishly naive when one considers that both Linux and BSD can be downloaded at no charge and replicated as much as necessary--at no charge. Well, that pretty much eliminates the bad apple in the comparison called Windows.
Yes, I too have seen the trend in the enterprise environments toward Linux because of its support (both commercial and community-based) and its maturity. However, I am finding noted about Linux more frequently is its lack of cohesiveness as a platform. The BSDs are a complete platform and thus breakage or non-compliance with the platform architecture by one developer does not lead to widespread breakage. The Linux kernel may be great but all userland applications loaded on top can create conflict due to its lack of a disciplined structure. I have read these sentiments written by Linux fans. Hmm, that slices the Linux apple (!!).
The BSD platform, like Linux, has forked but the main platforms continue to grow and develop along new technologies. Simply waving one's hand and dismissing this Unix-based platform as a old has-been would likewise be naive.
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