Now that many businesses have firmly embraced Linux and other open-source software for servers, what's next?

An InformationWeek survey of 354 business-technology professionals finds that many already are expanding their use of open-source software into new application areas and even to the desktop. The low cost of Linux continues to be the big adoption driver; the operating system's performance and reliability are increasingly seen as pluses. But issues such as compatibility with the Microsoft world, potential security weaknesses, and the lack of Linux skills among IT workers stand in the way.

Nearly 60% of those surveyed are using Linux and other open-source software on servers, up from 49% just a year ago. More surprising, 35% also use open-source software on desktop PCs, with another 18% pilot-testing such desktop software and another 10% planning to try it this year.

But the survey shows just how far Linux has to go on the desktop. Even among 245 sites using or planning to deploy Linux on PCs, only 12% of their organizations' PCs are running or will run Linux, compared with 55% running Windows XP and 21% running Windows NT or 2000.

That's still more than the 1.5% of all PCs worldwide that currently run Linux, according to Gartner. The market researcher projects that number will climb to only 2% by 2009.

What's the holdup?
Survey respondents point to limited choices for Linux desktop applications and lack of interoperability with Windows software. While E-Trade has been moving from Sun Solaris to Linux since 2001 and expanding its use of open-source middleware, CIO Greg Framke doesn't expect to move to widespread use of desktop Linux anytime soon. "I'd really like to," he says. "I just don't think I'm ready." There are some PCs running Linux in his development group, but that will be it for a while.

When asked what issues they encountered when deploying Linux on PCs, 54% of those surveyed cite compatibility problems with existing software. Here in the United States, the application base is "very Windows-centric right now," says Gartner analyst Michael Silver. "If Linux could run Windows applications, and those applications could be supported, then companies could move to Linux a lot more easily."

Desktop Linux is catching on more quickly outside the United States because other countries are looking for low-cost IT products, and they don't have the software legacy and compatibility issues that U.S. companies need to deal with, he says.

Satisfaction Guaranteed
Lack of Linux skills among IT staff, poor documentation, and problems relating to the multiple versions of Linux also were cited as problems with deploying Linux on PCs. Altogether, 75% of companies using Linux on servers and 83% using Linux on PCs report problems in their deployment.