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Tech Watch: Linux Crushes Windows in Green Challenge
by Anonymous - Jun 13th, 2008
Linux enthusiasts, rejoice! You now have more ammo in your arsenal to throw out against rival Windows – and this time it’s green.
From Network World Magazine:
Independent tests show that Linux pulls as much as 12% less power than Windows 2008 on identical hardware.
For that, Linux captured the magazine's "green flag" award.
So how did Network World do it? The magazine pitted servers using Red Hat’s Enterprise Linux and SUSE Enterprise Linux against those running Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition. The power consumption tests were completed on four popular server machines -- one each from Dell and IBM and two from HP.
The findings? Red Hat's Enterprise Linux was the unmistakable winner, using 12 percent less energy than Windows 2008.
So, Linux remains cheaper to deploy than Windows by many accounts (note: Microsoft is trying to change that) and it's the clear power saver? Hmm: and then there was one?
Not so fast. The new notch on the belt for Linux is just more fuel for the long-standing rivalry. Anyway, the rather wonky six-page Network World article is stuffed full of caveats on its own findings, including this:
"No matter the operating system, Windows or Linux, the leading form of power conservation comes from throttling back the CPU to let the server rest during quiet activity times."
Still, it's fair to say that Linux has the green edge over Windows in the world of servers -- for now. And the magazine results are making the rounds.
It seems that the Linux creators would be smart to milk its new green badge of honor for all its worth, no?
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