Publications
Publications
- July 2004 (Revised July 2005)
- HBS Case Collection
Linux in 2004
By: Pankaj Ghemawat, Brian Subirana and Christina Pham
Abstract
A new technology platform conceived in the early 1990s, Linux developed into a force to be reckoned with in the operating system marketplace. At first, Linux was dismissed as a renegade option used only by tech geeks. By 2004, however, Linux had exploded into the mainstream and was being used throughout the enterprise, running everything from Web servers to mission-critical financial operations. Linux was, at the same time, the soul of the open source movement; the bread and butter of specialist companies like Novell and Red Hat; a strategic tool for larger players like IBM and Sun; a credible threat to the market leader, Microsoft; and a tactical alternative for governments around the world. Linux's new and multifaceted roles in the technology landscape makes it a complex case through which to examine a wide variety of business problems.
Keywords
Competition; Open Source Distribution; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Information Technology Industry
Citation
Ghemawat, Pankaj, Brian Subirana, and Christina Pham. "Linux in 2004." Harvard Business School Case 705-407, July 2004. (Revised July 2005.)