Around this time last year we ran a story called “IOUG: Linux to be top platform for Oracle by next year.” Mark Brunelli had spoken with IOUG president Ari Kaplan about a survey of the organization’s members, which indicated that Linux was poised to overtake Solaris as the top operating system for Oracle DBMS deployments in 2007. Did these predictions bear fruit?

Unfortunately, it’s not clear. The IOUG conducted a similar survey this year, but they did not ask respondents the exact same question. Instead, members were asked to check all operating systems in use. Here’s what they reported:

1. Windows 509
2. Solaris 475
3. Linux 448
4. HP/UX 283
5. AIX 247
6. Unix 176
7. z/OS 42
8. Tru64 37
9. VMS 39
10. System I (iSeries,A/400) 14
11. No Answer 10
12. Other 9

Due to the wording of the question, we don’t know what the favored OS for the Oracle database currently is. It’s too bad – I became curious about predictions of Linux domination after reading a blog post by Marco Craveiro. With desktop Linux as well, it seems, domination is always just around the corner:

Well, three months into 2007 and very few mass migrations to desktop Linux have been announced. A few thousands here and there, but not the millions we all want. It’s beginning to look like our hopes for 2007 as the Linux Desktop Year ™ have been misplaced yet again. The algorithm for the Linux Desktop Year is becoming clear now: N + 1, where N is the current year. Yep, its always next year. What’s going on here? Are we never going to have Linux on the desktop? […] What about World Domination?

So is Linux’s big year ever really going to arrive? What do you think? Does your Oracle shop already run on Linux? Does it have plans to switch? Do you think Oracle-on-Linux will eventually have its day in the sun, or are the open-sourcers just dreaming?

-Elisa