UBS analyst Heather Bellini speculated yesterday that the adoption rate of Linux is slowing. She based the conclusion on the results of a quarterly survey of CIOs conducted by the firm. The survey results showed that 90 percent of CIOs do not plan to deploy an open source system in the remainder of 2007. This figure is slightly higher than the response given in January, and up significantly from a similar survey conducted last year.

According to UBS, the market penetration for Linux servers is about 8 percent, and will continue to grow, despite the survey results. According to other sources, however, the Linux penetration is much deeper, and server growth is routinely measured in double digits. A debate about the measurability of Linux server deployment rages, because Linux is available free of charge, and market penetration figures are usually based on sales. Servers pre-configured with Linux can be purchased, however, which may account for the low market share figures.

Overall, the figures could be symptomatic of a general slowdown in the deployment of servers, regardless of platform. Analysts are also reporting that adoption of Microsoft Vista Server is slow, generating little interest from small- and medium-sized businesses. A survey in January conducted by Access Markets International Partners, Inc. showed that only 7 percent of small businesses and 17 percent of mid-sized businesses made plans to adopt Vista by the end of 2007.