Individual and enterprise users of software today have many options for satisfying their computing and networking needs. Open source software (OSS) is one of them, and it is often selected because of the broader choices OSS can deliver. For instance, OSS offers enterprises the opportunity to be more self-reliant through source code modification. It allows incremental project and upgrade schedules, free rein in integration decisions, and direct interaction with the OSS community. It creates the opportunity to implement projects in a way that is consistently mindful of enterprise goals, rather than the goals of a proprietary software vendor
In 1992, about 1,000 people around the world were using Linux. This year, A.D.H. Brown Associates estimates that 20 million people are using it, primarily on corporate networks. According to a Morgan Stanley survey of chief information officers, 29 percent of companies now use Linux servers and another 17 percent are considering purchasing them. It's not a number that would have the competition quaking, but it does point to a growing interest and a significant customer base.
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