The Linux Foundation has essentially declared itself victorious in its software war with Microsoft. The organization believes that in every category but the desktop, Linux, in one form or another, is beating Microsoft's offerings. As a result, the software giant is no longer important, nor much of a threat, to the organization.
"I think we just don't care that much [about Microsoft] anymore," Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin told Network World. "They used to be our big rival, but now it's kind of like kicking a puppy. Linux has come to dominate almost every category of computing, with the exception of the desktop.
Has Linux really outpaced Microsoft in nearly every market, including server-side computing and mobile? Maybe not Linux itself, but some form of the software can be found pretty much anywhere nowadays.
Linux powers various consumer electronics devices, including Sony televisions and camcorders, the Amazon Kindle, and smartphones and tablets that run Google's Android or HP's webOS. Linux also runs on most servers in the world and on more than 90 percent of the top 500 supercomputers.
Proponents of the open source project are preparing to celebrate its two decades of existence this year. Linux was started either on August 25, 1991, when Linus Torvalds posted a message saying he was creating a free operating system, or on October 5, 1991, when the first Linux code was released.