This IDC study examines the evolving dynamics of the Linux server market in Western Europe.

"Linux compound annual growth for the period 2008-2012 is projected at 4.3%, while the general server market will experience a slight decline of -1.9% over the same period," said IDC analyst Beatriz Valle. "The recent availability of the Linux 2.6.26 kernel has brought in changes around architectural, I/O, and network driver enhancements. Their increasing scalability means Linux-based servers will take on more CPU counts, and therefore workloads, in the future.