Bad Omen for Windows

This month's Netcraft survey reports companies are dumping their Windows/Internet Information Server (IIS) back ends and reverting to previous previous months when Windows looked like it was gaining on Linux.

Netcraft has published its November Web server survey data. The November numbers offer a stark contrast to the past few months, when Windows looked like it was gaining on Linux. According to the latest results, a number of companies – led by register.com and Network Solutions – are dumping their Windows/Internet Information Server (IIS) back ends. (Register.com is going back to Linux/Apache; Network Solutions to Sun One.) Netcraft notes that a number of the big dotcommers, who had adopted Microsoft/IIS in the 2001/2002 period, are either going belly-up or changing their business models. The result? "Microsoft-IIS share is now in line with its long term pre-summer 2001 level of around 20%," the Netcrafters claim.