Operating Systems

Operating Systems

When open source is mentioned, the first thing that typically comes to mind is Linux and other open-source operating systems that have spread like wildfire throughout many organizations.

With the backing of industry powerhouses such as IBM and Oracle Corp., Linux has become a legitimate operating system choice for many enterprises.

While not entirely open source, Apples OS X operating system is built off of a FreeBSD kernel and relies on open-source components such as Samba. OS X has raised the bar on ease of use for the rest of the open-source operating system group. For Linux and BSD to spread to the user class, desktop environments such as K Desktop Environment and GNU Network Object Model Environment will have to continue to improve their ease of use and feature breadth.

But the biggest obstacle facing open-source operating systems is the relative dearth of application support. Windows is still the dominant desktop operating system, and ISVs will have to be encouraged to port their Windows-based software to open-source operating systems.

We expect Linux to continue to expand its boundaries all the way from personal digital assistants and cell phones to legacy mainframes and high-performance computing clusters. —Henry Baltazar