Mainstream Linux distributions for servers have caught up substantially with Unix in terms of reliability over the past year, while Windows Server 2003 downtime has risen by nearly 25 percent, according to a Yankee Group survey.
The research firm"s survey also noted a significant rise in enterprise interest in Ubuntu, previously known primarily as a desktop operating system.
The 2007-2008 Global Server Operating System Reliability Survey presents a substantially different picture compared to the results of the last such survey in 2006, in which Windows administrators reported less downtime than their counterparts who used Linux — a result that stirred up controversy at the time.