Case Studies and Press Coverage

Here you can learn what third parties have to say about the power of the open-source model. Much of this material discusses Linux, but the lessons are not specific to Linux; they apply to open source in general.

White Papers

MITRE REPORT: "A Business Case Study of Open Source Software: Download the .pdf

Ganesh C. Prasad has written The Practical Manager's Guide to Linux.

In Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 versus UNIX, a Microsoft Certified Professional makes an extremely powerful reliability, features, and cost-of-ownership case for Unix over NT, focusing on Linux and other open-source Unixes. The paper concludes with an interesting list of Fortune 500 deployments.

You can also read The Halloween Documents, an annotated version of an internal Microsoft white paper on Linux and open source that attempts to define Microsoft's competitive response. In the process it makes some rather astonishing concessions ...

Mission Critical Experiences with Linux. John H. Terpstra examines several cases of Linux adoption in mission-critical business systems.

For a perspective that is both sharp and entertaining, see The Last Dinosaur and the Tarpits of Doom: How Linux Smashed Windows.

More white papers are available from LinuxCare and Bynari.

Case Studies and Trials

Replacing Windows NT Server with Linux: Quinn Coldiron of the University of Nebraska Press explains what he learned when they replaced a Novell Netware server with NT, why NT was impossible to live with, and how Linux saved the day. Must-read for anyone planning a departmental or enterprise network.

Jazznet: a case study of a networked cluster of Linux PCs used as a poor man's supercomputer at NIST. The study highlights the high performance, high stability, and excellent cost-effectiveness of the Linux solution relative to a more traditional configuration. Must-read for anyone managing scientific or engineering computing.

This letter to TechWeb described a rather typical history of a Chief Technology officer, badly burned by NT, who found a rescue with Linux.

Yahoo! and FreeBSD: a co-founder of Yahoo! explains why they gave up on closed Internet platforms and made Yahoo! a success with FreeBSD.

We welcome references to other case studies and trials.

Market Analysis

A major market analysis by Datapro find Linux has the highest satisfaction rating among IT managers, and is the only OS other than NT growing in market share.

Press Coverage

A Sunny Forecast for Open-Source: Weather.com's move to an all-open-source Web site infrastructure has enabled the company to lower costs while meeting increased capacity demands.

FocusOn Freeware InfoWorld's roundup of its many stories on the Open Source phenomenon.

Linux: Not Just For Geeks And College Kids Anymore (Smart Reseller, 11 Feb 1998): General introduction to Linux from a bottom-line perspective.

1997 Best Technical Support Award: InfoWorld explains why open-source users make a better technical-support resource than most vendors.

1997 Best Network Operating System: InfoWorld zeroes in on the power of open source.

Freed Software Winning Support, Making Waves (Wired, 30 Jan 1998).

Bonk! A New Windows Security Hole (Wired, 9 Jan 1998): Excellent explanation of the superior security of open-source OSs.

NT? "No Thanks," say pro-Linux rank-and-file The 35th Design Automation conference in June 1998 reveals a strong groundswell of support for Unix among engineers.

Linux Focus: The Borg takes on NASA multi-processing Explains how and why a university in England opted to replace their Cray supercomputer with a Linux-based system of networked PCs.

Web Review's roundup of its open-source stories, including not just current developments but the history and personalities behind them.

Railroad Boards the Linux Train Explains how Canadian National Railway uses the reliability and remote-administration features of Linux to framatically cut expensive on-site maintainance on a distributed network of 100 servers.

Linux TCO edge: Lower labor costs Explains why Linux systems have a lower total cost of ownership — because, though Linux sysdamins are a little pricier per head, they can administer more machines effectively.

2003 and Beyond An incisive look at industry trends and where Microsoft wants to take us all.