Mainstream Linux distributions for servers have caught up substantially with Unix in terms of reliability over the past year, while Windows Server 2003 downtime has risen by nearly 25 percent, according to a Yankee Group survey.

If you look at the enterprise server operating system market, there's Microsoft's Windows server platform, there's the UNIX platform and there's Linux. What's needed is good strong competition between the platforms, resulting in robust systems with the features that enterprises want.

Whenever people thinks of a free operating system (if they do), the odds are that they will think of Linux, a clone of UNIX from 1991. They also might think of one or more of the BSDs, UNIX-derivatives dating back to the early ’80s. Let’s face it, though—UNIX is pretty boring. It was great for a PDP-11, and it gets the job done now, but it’s not exactly exciting.

It appears from almost two years of IDC data that the Unix/Linux share of the market is stabilizing in the 40-45% range. The major question is how quickly Linux systems will displace Unix. That’s the market chunk that Red Hat (RHT) is aiming at with its recent announcement that it plans to “own” 50% of the server market by 2015.

This tip explains how server virtualization will benefit Linux and Unix operating system adoption but will most likely harm Windows Server adoption by relieving the one-operating-system-to-one-server modus operandi. You'll review the drawbacks of using Windows operating systems and the rewards that virtualization offers to not only IT architects but end-users and application vendors and learn how these factors will combine and affect the current use of Linux, Unix and Windows operating systems.

"Various theories are circulating as to why Microsoft has been so gung-ho about intellectual property enforcement lately. I have opined about it myself in other venues, basically putting forth the theory that the staff at Redmond is running a bit scared right now as they watch Linux slowly encompass the server market."

Setting up a LAMP server is a common task for systems administrators, and FreeBSD is one of the most reliable and stable operating systems available. Why not combine both LAMP and FreeBSD to build a fast and reliable Web server?

CIO.com asked the lead guys for each distro about its suitability for business use. In "Red Hat Enterprise Linux: The Business OS for Flexibility and Value" Brian Stevens, CTO and vice president of engineering, Red Hat makes his case that Red Hat is the choice for reducing operating costs and providing a secure, reliable, scalable operating system.

According to a recent IDC report highlighted by ZDNet, Linux is booming. At just 9.4 percent of the overall server market in terms of revenue in 2007, Linux has now climbed to 13.4 percent of the overall server market, with Unix at 7.7 percent and Windows at 36.5 percent.