IDC thinks Microsoft will drive people to Linux

IDC HAS GOT out its crystal ball for 2007 and the omens don't look good for Microsoft, it predicts.

It has 10 main predictions for 2007, but numbers nine and 10 affect Microsoft. It reckons Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts on client operating systems will backfire, and that will drive customers towards Linux.

It also believes that Windows Vista will not give the OS or PC market spend any kind of dramatic uplift, but there will be a "meaningful shift of adoption" which favours premium versions of Vista. We think this means IDC thinks consumers will shift to Vista. Of course, if they're buying new PCs or notebooks they won't have that much choice.

The other predictions IDC sees in its ball are that the use of Linux paravirtualisation "will be mostly sizzle, not steak". Few will plump for a paravirtualised kernel. Perhaps even fewer will know what IDC means.

IDC thinks there will be a wave of virtualisation in 2007, and it has decided to call it Virtualisation 2.0. Meanwhile software appliances "will become a household word in 2007". Ignoring the fact that's two words, we have the feeling Granny won't be muttering "software appliances" under her breath when her Viiv system refuses to boot. µ