The enterprise server OS market is dominated by Microsoft Windows, Unix and Linux. Although Unix still has a sizable share of the market, that share is declining rapidly. In contrast, Windows is performing quite well and holding steady, while the smaller Linux share is consistently growing in popularity.

The War between Windows and Linux

What does the future hold? This battle will likely come down to Windows and Linux, especially as Unix is being slowly phased out of the industry. There are a few enterprise distributions of Linux, but what of the SUSE server platform? Will it survive?

Microsoft and SUSE

Red Hat and Novell SUSE are the two major enterprise Linux distributions. These two heavyweights are fighting toe-to-toe for the Linux market share while trying to secure the upper hand on Microsoft as the same time. Although Red Hat is currently winning the battle, one may assume that SUSE is the fitting candidate, especially when considering that the server platform is being backed by Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft has invested in nearly $350 million Novell coupons, a move implemented to cater to customers who prefer Linux and ultimately spite Red Hat. The SUSE server OS is gaining ground, but what happens when the funds from Microsoft run out?

What the Rumors Say

The rumor mill says that Novell is having a tough time making ends meet, as its Linux invoicing dropped 42% last quarter. In addition, the company appears to be overly reliant on Microsoft to acquire new customers. Who will be laughing in the end? Probably Microsoft. Who will suffer the most? The Linux user community. This is especially true if Red Hat and others cannot gather up the resources necessary to compete.

Diehard fans of the Linux server are screaming for fair competition. Most of them view this as a battle that will come down between Red Hat and Windows – not Microsoft and what many are now calling Microsoft’s lapdog. This isn’t a criticism of the SUSE server, as it is still a very secure and capable platform. It does, however, raise the question: is SUSE worthy of the Linux title?