R0045/2026-03-29/Q001/SRC03
IDC Linux server market data reported via Network Computing and LWN.net
Source
| Field |
Value |
| Title |
Server Market Grows; Linux Revenue Tops $1 Billion / OSDL/IDC Linux Market Predictions |
| Publisher |
Network Computing / LWN.net (reporting IDC data) |
| Author(s) |
Network Computing staff; LWN.net editors |
| Date |
2004-12 |
| URL |
https://www.networkcomputing.com/data-center-networking/server-market-grows-linux-revenue-tops-1-billion |
| Type |
Industry data reporting |
Summary
| Dimension |
Rating |
| Reliability |
High |
| Relevance |
High |
| Bias: Missing data |
Low risk |
| Bias: Measurement |
Low risk |
| Bias: Selective reporting |
Low risk |
| Bias: Randomization |
N/A — not an RCT |
| Bias: Protocol deviation |
N/A — not an RCT |
| Bias: COI/Funding |
Low risk |
Rationale
| Dimension |
Rationale |
| Reliability |
IDC is the primary source for worldwide server market tracking data. Network Computing and LWN.net are reputable technology publications. |
| Relevance |
Directly provides Linux server revenue data and growth rates for the transition period, enabling comparison with Unix server revenue. |
| Bias flags |
The OSDL (Open Source Development Labs) co-sponsored the IDC study, which could introduce some framing bias toward optimistic Linux projections. However, the underlying IDC data methodology is standard and well-established. |
| Evidence ID |
Summary |
| SRC03-E01 |
Linux server revenue topped $1B for first time in Q3 2004 |
| SRC03-E02 |
IDC/OSDL projected Linux server market to exceed $11B by 2008 |