My grandmother, of all people, pointed this Wall Street Journal article out to me this week. The article suggests that Linux is in trouble, because people have liked it in minor roles and now are considering it for more difficult and important ones. In other words, it’s done fine in what the analysts call “edge computing” — file, print, the IT guy’s desktop, web servers — and now people are checking to see if it meets requirements for desktops and data centers.
The Journal implies that this second evaluation is a sign that Linux isn’t up to the task. I think it is up to the task, and that the ongoing evaluation is a sign that businesses tend to look before leaping when it comes to technology (Would you spend a million bucks on something without trying it out first? Didn’t think so). Still, even if people evaluate it for central roles and don’t like it, I disagree entirely with the idea that excellence at one level leading to consideration for another can really be called “growing pains.”
I would call it success.
Secretly Ironic 