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June 30, 2008 10:26 AM PDT

Linux runs 85 percent of the world's fastest computers

by Matt Asay

Windows rules on the desktop, but if you want serious performance, there's only one choice: Linux.

As The 451 Group captures in a great write-up of the most recent Top500 report of the world's fastest supercomputers, Linux is the default choice for 85 percent of the world's fastest computers. Windows? It can barely scrape together 1 percent market share.

(Credit: Top500)

The world's fastest supercomputer, built by IBM, uses the xCAT distributed computing management and provisioning tool, created by Egan Ford (a friend and IBM's supercomputer guru). The good news for Microsoft? It's open source. Microsoft can use it, too!

Of course, Microsoft would have to switch to Linux first, but that's a small sacrifice to be part of the club generating serious performance for customers, right? Right?!? :-)

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
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by The_Decider June 30, 2008 10:48 AM PDT
Go down the performance ladder a little and you will only see that gap widen. The beowulf clusters and other higher end, but not quite supercomputer distributed systems are an even bigger market with more dependence on Linux.
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About The Open Road

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to the Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is general manager of the Americas division and vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

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