Forrester Sees Desktop Linux Scaring Microsoft

A lackluster reception for Windows Vista in the enterprise and some hard work by Linux vendors could be the harbinger of greater Linux adoption on desktops.

And here we thought Wal-Mart’s Everex boxes running Linux would have Microsofties reaching for chairs to throw.

Turns out, according to eWeek, that Forrester Research sees Microsoft being threatened where all the money is, in the enterprise market.

“The high volume of client inquiries for Linux on the desktop clearly indicates it’s not going away any time soon. Expect Linux to experience growth over the next year as the distributors work hard to make it an enterprise-class offering,” Forrester analyst Benjamin Gray said in the report.

Vista, Microsoft’s long-awaited replacement for XP, has not flown out of the gate in the business market. Adoption has been far slower than Microsoft would like, as the operating system represents one of its two major revenue streams, the other being the Office productivity suite.

Linux vendors hoping to overcome Microsoft at the operating system level will face several hurdles. Custom applications that require Windows may not run well in emulation on a Linux system, if at all. That would be enough to keep an enterprise from making the switch.

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