Gernot Heiser, professor of operating systems at UNSW has stated that Windows and Linux will remain as the future of desktop and server operating systems.
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In an interview at the recent Linux.conf.au in Melbourne, Heiser said "the operating systems of the future will be called Windows and Linux, no matter what they look like".
"You can't really introduce new operating systems in the desktop and server space", he added.
Previously big companies had invested a lot of money to fight the Windows monopoly, Heiser said, but that's not likely to be repeated. Thanks to timing, Linux managed to break through and become an alternative to Windows. The server and desktop space would be stable at least in the foreseeable future, he said.
Embedded systems, on the other hand is a wide-open area, Heiser said.
"In the embedded systems industry, a lot of the systems are still built with simple real-time executives that don't support any memory protection. The industry is reaching the point where they realise this technology has reached it's use-by date."
This development will force companies to change operating systems and there exists a perfect opportunity to get new OS technology into the market, he said.
