There's a great legend from the history of the Macintosh computer that says Apple
Though I've argued recently that Apple remains a classic Rule Breaker, the technology that most fits the swashbuckling style of the old Mac in today's tech world is Linux. The computer operating system built and modified by thousands through a completely open source code has come to dominate the low end of the server market, and by 2008 could create a $35 billion industry globally, according to a recently released report from researcher IDC.
To arrive at that number, IDC predicted more than 25% annual growth for the entire market for Linux products. The report says that of the $35 billion, $14 billion will come from packaged software, $11 billion from servers, and $10 billion from -- get this -- personal computers.
No, IDC isn't predicting the demise of Microsoft's
So, who stands to profit from Linux's growing popularity? The top of the list would have to be Red Hat
The other major beneficiaries are likely to be hardware makers or whole infrastructure suppliers. For example, IBM
Who will grab the biggest slice of the Linux pie is anything but determined. IBM has the biggest investment. Oracle has a great idea in grid computing. Red Hat has brand recognition. Any of these and dozens of others could win big, or earn little. So what's a Rule Breaking investor to do? Be on the lookout for the pirate flag.
For related Foolishness:
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Sun Microsystems
(NASDAQ:SUNW) decided to ape Linux and release its Solaris 10 operating system into the wilderness. - It seems like everything open source is targeting Mr. Softy, even this tiny monster.
- Could Novell ever become top banana in the Linux market?
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Fool contributor Tim Beyers swears he's going to try running Linux software on his Mac. Just because he can, really. Tim owns shares of Oracle stock. To check out the rest of Tim's portfolio, have a peek at his Fool profile, which is here.