Linux, Windows duke it out over energy efficiency

The battles for energy efficiency aren’t just being fought by chipmakers, server and PC vendors, and other hardware companies out there. There’s a similar battle heating up on the OS layer between Microsoft and Linux.

Linux appears to have an advantage at the moment: Companies are becoming increasingly open to adopting the platform both in the server room and on the desktop. Big-name vendors like IBM, HP, and Novell are giving the penguin a push in the datacenter, framing it as a flexible and energy-efficient platform. The fact that Linux offers greater virtualization opportunities than Windows (a sentiment recently expressed by the VMWare CTO Mendel Rosenblum) only strengthens the platform’s green standing.
Microsoft isn’t resting on its laurels, though. It plans to make power-management tools a central part of Windows Server 2008. Further, it’s advancing its own virtualization strategy.

The Linux Foundation has spelled out plans to bring improved power management to the OS in an effort called the Green Linux Initiative. The workgroup’s efforts could bring longer battery life to battery-powered mobile devices and lower operating costs in the server room.

Some of the projects the Linux Foundation envisions includes:

Developing a tickless kernel, which enables the processor to sleep between tasks
Creating power-aware applications and policies
Boosting power management for USB peripherals
Improving suspend and hibernate reliability
Fixing bugs in userspace applications that cause unnecessary processor usage

“At the Linux Foundation, we’ve realized that while there have been many recent advances in Linux power management, there are still new, untapped ways to make Linux more green,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, in a written statement. “Our Green Linux initiative will leverage the power of our members … to enhance these improvements. We expect Linux to be a leader in this area and for Linux customers, and the environment, to realize the gains brought about by our members’ efforts.”

InfoWorld