Right now, there's a shortage of classic end-user applications. There's a tremendous repertoire of Linux apps, but they are specialty items. Sun's StarOffice desktop suite, now available for Linux, has not allayed that problem. But, he added, parsed-down open source apps based on StarOffice may soon gain ground. For now, Barr indicated, the server will remain the locus of Linux.
Most announcements still are for servers.
We're going to clustering, high availability, and the like. The new kernel, which increases scalability and multiprocessor support, may have a role in this continued emphasis. Caldera, SuSE, and other Linux OS providers will be showing new system capabilities at the New York show. The gap between commercial Linux promoters and noncommercial Linux adherents should not be overstated, or thought of as new, said Jean S. Bozman, an IDC analyst. The dynamic is similar to what happened in the early days of Unix, where the advocates called the commercial sides 'the suits' and the commercial side called the Unix advocates 'sandal wearers,' Bozman said.