Microsoft reveals its business enemies to US Govt
By Pulkit Sharma

The Linux operating system is one of the great success stories of the free and open source software movement.  It is the result of a universal, collaborative effort by mainly volunteers who are happy for others to use and enhance their labour of love. It is high quality and free and seen as a threat by proprietary companies like Microsoft.

Every year, Microsoft, like other businesses, has to file a 10-K form with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission which gives a realistic overview of its business.

Its 10-K form filed on July 30, 2009 makes for some interesting reading.  This year Microsoft has ‘upgraded’ the threat level posed by Linux

The 10-K document begins with the classical public relations paragraph describing Microsoft’s mission “to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. Since the company was founded in 1975, we have worked to achieve this mission by creating technology that transforms the way people work, play, and communicate. We develop and market software, services, hardware, and solutions that we believe deliver new opportunities, greater convenience, and enhanced value to people’s lives. We do business throughout the world and have offices in more than 100 countries.”

Microsoft then lists its ‘competition’ in the 10K form

“
Microsoft Client faces strong competition from well-established companies with differing approaches to the PC market. Competing commercial software products, including variants of Unix, are supplied by competitors such as Apple, Canonical, and Red Hat. Apple takes an integrated approach to the PC experience and has made inroads in share, particularly in the U.S. and in the consumer segment. The Linux operating system, which is also derived from Unix and is available without payment under a General Public License, has gained some acceptance, especially in emerging markets, as competitive pressures lead OEMs to reduce costs and new, lower-price PC form-factors gain adoption. Partners such as Hewlett-Packard and Intel have been actively working with alternative Linux-based operating systems.

The Windows operating system also faces competition from alternative platforms and new devices that may reduce consumer demand for traditional PCs. Competitors such as Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Opera Software Company offer software that competes with the Internet Explorer Web browsing capabilities of Windows products. User and usage volumes on mobile devices are increasing around the world relative to the PC. OEMs have been working to make the Google Android mobile operating system more compatible with small form-factor PCs or netbooks.
“

If you believe this Microsoft document, you will also believe that people only like Linux because it is cheaper.  Not better. Most Linux enthusiasts would disagree with Microsoft.

(Techgoss had published the following article on May 2, 2009)

Linux: 1 percent share
By Pulkit Sharma

The Linux operating system is one of the great success stories of the free and open source software movement.  It is the result of a universal, collaborative effort by mainly volunteers who are happy for others to use and enhance their labour of love.

When Richard Stallman launched the GNU Project in 1984 to create a free operating system, he was dismissed as an impractical idealist.  Today, he is revered as a visionary.  Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds are seen as the fathers of the Linux operating system.

Linux had an uphill battle to be accepted in the commercial world.  Not surprisingly, software giants like Microsoft did everything they could to crush their ‘free’ competitor.

In June, 2008, Microsoft had 90.84 % of the operating system market,  Apple 7.94 and Linux .80 percent.

In April, 2009,  Microsoft has dropped to 87.90.  Apple increased its share to 9.73.  And the Linux operating system is now used by 1.02 percent of the market.

The global recession has made many big and medium businesses take a closer look at the high quality and relatively cheap Linux operating system.

It is a small but symbolic achievement.  And it is just a question of time before Linux is used in the same numbers as the Apple operating system.