Amazon.com saves millions with Linux switch

By Staff Staff | Posted at 6:03 PM

News.com is reporting that Amazon cut technology costs by $17 million dollars last quarter by switching to Linux-based solutions. “Amazon said in June that it was revamping its computer systems and switching to 'commodity' computers running Linux. Executives said at the time that they expected technology costs as a portion of net sales would decrease by 20 percent this year. “

“For 1,000 users tapping into a Linux server, the total cost is about a fifth to a half that of a Unix system, Kusnetzky said. The cost of administering a Linux system is about the same percentage of the overall cost for a Unix or Windows server, he added.”

“According to Internet research firm Netcraft, Amazon's Web pages are dished out by Linux servers running Red Hat's Stronghold Web server, a derivative of the open-source Apache project. “


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