Why does Intel support Linux?

On Jan 13, 2004, at 12:13 AM, Joe Toon wrote:

> Why does Intel supporting Linux =3D Intel losing Windows market share?=20=

> Intel is in a very powerful position. They have lots of cash ($11.8=20
> billion, $22.3 billion in current assets as of September 27th), great=20=

> brand recognition, dominance in their markets and all around a very=20
> stable, healthy company.

Thanks to you and everyone else who responded. You have given me lots=20
of food for thought.
>
> By supporting Linux in a big way, it gives them even more exposure and=20=

> distinction from the "Wintel" association. This helps them move their=20=

> chips into more lucrative segments of the industry (servers) by=20
> increasing sales of 64bit chips, Xeon chips, etc. A good thing for=20
> Intel.

But AFAICT it is exactly the Wintel association that is responsible for=20=

their success. It's not like x86 was the best chip. There have been=20
much better chips around that just vanished because they couldn't run=20
Windows. And that includes better chips from Intel. Remember the i960?=20=

I do take your point about Linux giving them entr=E9e into the high end=20=

market that was dominated by Solaris, AIX, HP/UX and a bunch of=20
proprietary *nix. But having a foot in the door and successfully=20
competing are different things. I think that space was HP's for the=20
taking and they just blew it
>
> In addition to this, it gives Intel some additional leverage against=20=

> Microsoft. What is Microsoft going to do? Rewrite all of their=20
> software for a completely different chip? Microsoft made a choice to=20=

> be exclusive to the x86 platform (remember, they use to support MIPs,=20=

> Alpha, etc with NT3/NT4..) which for all intents and purposes means=20
> they are locked into using Intel chips.

The fact that Intel has leverage against MS and does not have leverage=20=

against Linux was precisely the point of my question. It does raise an=20=

interesting question though. How portable is Windows? Do we have any=20
assurance that MS doesn't keep versions of Windows for different=20
architectures in house? I'm not discounting the point made by Craig and=20=

a few others that Microsoft is perfectly capable of finding another=20
partner if Intel got too 'uppity'.

> Microsoft is having a hard enough time convincing people to upgrade=20
> from Windows 98 to an NT based system to the point where they ended up=20=

> extending support for Windows 98 for another 2.5 years -- much less=20
> trying to convince people to port to a completely different hardware=20=

> platform.
>
> I honestly don't see how supporting Linux will be a bad thing for=20
> Intel. It will provide a vehicle for Intel to gain market share for=20=

> servers.

But they loose their near monopoly on the desktop and they actually=20
have to compete for the server space on the technical merit of their=20
processor.

> The long term, with companies such as IBM (and most likely Novell)=20
> porting their entire company infrastructure over to Linux could easily=20=

> provide the case studies necessary for other companies and individuals=20=

> to use Linux as their primary desktops (not to mention the catalyst to=20=

> get commercial software ported to Linux). Given the fact Linux CAN run=20=

> on different processors, I think Intel would be crazy not to ensure=20
> that Linux runs BEST on their own processors (or at least very=20
> competitive with other processors).

I think that's going to be hard for them. The competition has a simpler=20=

instruction set and smaller, cooler, less power hungry chips. Spark may=20=

be faltering under Sun's care but Hitachi seems to be picking up the=20
slack. Then there's PPC. And any new architecture that comes out of the=20=

woodwork. Linux doesn't care.
>
>
> Chris Gehlker wrote:
>> =46rom everything I read, Intel is a big Linux supporter. Now they=20=

>> are joining IBM and others in setting up the legal defense fund for=20=

>> Linux users. I think that's great but I don't understand the=20
>> business logic. In a Windows world people are pretty much stuck on=20
>> Intel iron except for AMD which is a much smaller company. With=20
>> Linux, they can migrate away from Intel any time. So why is Intel=20
>> pursuing a strategy that can cost them market share.
>
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