Hardware Today: For Linux, Maturity Leads to Inroads, Jan 28, 2005

According to the latest numbers from IDC, Linux has moved into the fast lane. Linux server shipments grew at a respectable 15 percent annually four years ago, and now are growing at a rate of 40 percent.

One of the minor ironies of the Linux world is the slight disconnect between the mantra of "choice" the most ardent advocates use to make the case for a multitude of graphical interfaces

As the bigger guns in the enterprise Linux space move to commercialize their software as much as possible, the Debian project continues to provide a Linux distribution that offers organizations the sort of commodity infrastructure for which Linux was originally known.

First launched in 1993, the Debian project is run as a distributed democracy, electing project leaders and hammering out assorted issues via a wide array of mailing lists and strict adherence to the project's social contact, a statement of purpose designed to keep the fruits of its labors free and open.