The current situation of the UNIX market

The market situation of operating systems has undergone significant changes in the last 10 years. Two distinctly different categories are traditionally considered: the market for large servers and the domestic and office automation market.

With the rise of communication systems, data and Internet networks, a new category formed by the so-called embedded systems breaks through. It integrates devices of all types, from routers or switches to PDA agendas.

The operating systems of Microsoft advance unstoppable in the domestic and office automation sector, mainly thanks to the good results obtained by Windows Millennium, Windows XP or Windows 2003. The share of GNU / Linux and Mac is similar and still quite low, around 2.8% for GNU / Linux according to an IDC study dated October 2003.

The server market presents a different aspect, on the other hand. Analysts agree on the continued growth of GNU / Linux and Windows and the retreat of NetWare and UNIX systems. Likewise, the latest movements are final for GNU / Linux to have the decisive implementation of the major manufacturers for HP and IBM for their server systems.