Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    Study Shows Four Versions Of Linux Surpass Unix

    Written by

    eWEEK EDITORS
    Published October 3, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Four versions of Linux have outstripped UnixWare in D.H. Brown Associates comparative analysis of operating systems, the first time Linux has surpassed any version of Unix.

      “The gap between Linux and Unix systems has certainly closed at a rapid pace,” said Tony Iams, senior analyst and author of the study, 2001 Linux Function Review. At the same time, he said, “even the strongest Linux products continue to lag behind the leading RISC [reduced instruction set computing]-based Unix systems [such as Hewlett-Packards HP-UX, IBMs AIX or Sun Microsystems Solaris] in terms of functional capabilities.”

      According to the report, the strongest Linux products, in declining order, are: SuSE Linux 7.2, a version particularly popular in Europe; Red Hat Linux 7.1; Caldera Internationals OpenLinux 3.1; and Turbolinux 6.5. Three of the distributions are based on the latest Linux kernel, version 2.4, which helped propel them beyond UnixWare. Turbolinux is still based on the 2.2 kernel.

      UnixWare is the version of Unix formerly sold by Novell, along with its NetWare local area network OS. It was in turn sold to the Santa Cruz Operation, which last year sold it to Caldera.

      SuSE Linux 7.2 held the lead among the studied distributions, due to its strengths in reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS). It possesses “superior workload management capabilities, and support for both mainframe partitions in its [IBM mainframe] implementation and emerging resource management tools,” the report said.

      It shares several strengths in storage reliability functions with Turbolinux, including a journaling file system and Logical Volume Manager. The journaling file system reduces data loss in a system crash by creating a journal of events that preceded the crash. The Logical Volume Manager enables online file system backup. Caldera includes a journaling file system, but no online backup capabilities. Red Hat does not include a journaling file system, the report said.

      “Commercial Unix systems support far more advanced RAS features than any current Linux system,” Iams noted.

      Red Hat scored the highest among the distributions for scalability features, and it offers good clustering support. SuSE “follows close behind, slightly hampered by a lack of published benchmark results and a lack of support for key third-party load balancing software,” the report said. Caldera does not yet support 64-bit processor architecture, such as Intels Itanium or Compaq Computers Alpha, the report said.

      In the 1999 edition of the OS study, D.H. Brown analysts concluded that Linux was primarily a system for low-end Web servers, file and print servers, appliance servers and clustering for high-end technical computing. This years study leads to the conclusion that Linux “is quite capable of serving as a general-purpose operating system for a broad range of departmental and workgroup applications,” making it a direct competitor with low-end Unix and Windows 2000 Server, Iams said.

      “People ask me, When is NT/Windows 2000 going to wipe out Linux and Unix? Its not going to happen,” he said, due to the ongoing strength of Linux and Unix, and because Windows appeals to a different audience.

      “Unix people like choice everywhere,” Iams said. “They want a small, relatively simple kernel, and best-of-breed additions around the kernel” – a demand that has helped the growth of Linux, he said.

      Windows users prefer an easier-to-administer system with a strong graphical management interface, he added.

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×