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Linux Pipeline Newsletter www.LinuxPipeline.com Tuesday, August 31, 2004 In This Issue: - Democrats Unleash 'Demzilla' On The GOP - Retailers Are Cool To Linux - Startup Fits 12-Node Linux Cluster On Desktop Board - More News... - How To Compete Against Microsoft - Interview: Cassatt Corp. Executive Vice President Rich Green - Opinion: Better Keep The Lawyers - More Picks... Microsoft(R) Windows(R) or Linux? See why major third-party research and analysis firms found Windows to be less expensive than Linux. Click here to get the facts. http://www.techweb.com/microsoft0804 ----------------------------------------- Editor's Note: Hiring Squeeze When IT professionals hear talk of coming employment shortages, certain specialties come to mind. Over the past several years, for example, you'd have a hard time browsing a trade magazine without hearing at least a passing reference to the mainframe skills shortage that companies should expect as their older, COBOL-loving experts quit their data centers for RV parks and golf courses across the country. Lately, however, I've heard more and more predictions of a developing Linux skills shortage. A recent Yankee Group research report painted a relatively bright future for Linux, mostly on the server but also to some extent on the corporate desktop. Yet when the report counseled caution for firms considering a headlong plunge into the open-source waters, it noted that the relative scarcity of Linux administrators and support personnel could make it harder for them to get a healthy return on their investments. There's also a lot of talk lately about the window of opportunity (pardon the pun) Microsoft appears to have opened for Linux: security concerns, the farce that is the Longhorn shipping date, and Redmond's own troubles building a critical mass of .Net developers all add up to fat times for open-source troublemakers. A golden opportunity, it seems, might soon be at risk as companies beat the bushes looking for Linux professionals who can satisfy all of these rising expectations. The Linux job market appears to reflect this trend. The July 2004 Dice Report, for example, shows astronomical growth in Linux-related IT job postings and above-average salaries for Linux professionals. In other words, if you follow the money, it appears to lead to a bunch of Linux sys admins, support specialists, security professionals, and other experts who are suddenly very happy they didn't become English lit majors in college. The July 2004 Dice Report http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/priv/pr_130608/DiceJuly04.pdf At any rate, that's the story we're hearing from industry statistics and market analysts--admittedly perhaps the two most unreliable sources of information ever to be unleashed on scoop-hungry tech journalists. But is it the whole story? Is Linux, and the open-source world in general, in danger of missing a golden opportunity to smash Microsoft for want of enough warm bodies to hold the battlefield? Let me know what you think, and we'll return to this issue in a few weeks to see if the Linux "skills shortage" passes your collective smell test.
Matthew McKenzie Democrats Unleash 'Demzilla' On The GOP An open-source data mart, tied to home-grown BI tools, is helping the DNC wage an election year data war against the Republicans.
Retailers Are Cool To Linux
Startup Fits 12-Node Linux Cluster On Desktop Board
IBM Offers Free Tools To Cloudscape Developers
Linspire Dials AOL For Linux Users
NetBeans Delivers Version 4.0 Beta Editor's Picks INTERVIEW: Cassatt Corporation Executive Vice President Rich Green Cassatt Corp. executive Rich Green talks about the technology tempest that's helping to create services-based systems.
OPINION: How To Compete Against Microsoft
OPINION: Better Keep The Lawyers
FEATURE: CA, IBM Open-Source Moves Not Equal
FEATURE: System Showdown: Windows Vs. Java
FEATURE: Hurdles Aside, Open Source Wins Converts Cast Your Vote Now! Vote For Your Favorite Linux Distribution In last week's poll we asked which Linux distributor you prefer above all others: The field is large, but SUSE/Novell has emerged as the early favorite. The polls are still open and every vote counts. Vote today!
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Microsoft(R) Windows(R) or Linux? See why major third-party research and analysis firms found Windows to be less expensive than Linux. Click here to get the facts. http://www.techweb.com/microsoft0804 ----------------------------------------- We take your privacy very seriously. Please review our Privacy Policy.
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