Prognosticators Expect Good Year For Linux, Wireless LANs In 2003

Compiled ByJill Jusko It's that time of the year again -- when experts look to the year ahead and place their bets on what will be hot and what will not. For information technology, wireless local area networks (LANs), Linux and online messaging will make important gains in 2003, predicts market intelligence firm IDC, while IT services will continue to be outsourced and overall technology spending growth will remain in the single digits. These predictions are part of the Framingham, Mass.-based firm's sixth annual forecast for the year ahead. More specifically, its predictions for 2003 include the following:

• The use of online messaging will continue to surge and approach 40 billion messages per day, lowering productivity as workers struggle to handle the influx of messages.
• Capital expenditures by telecommunications companies will drop by at least 5% worldwide.
• Linux will continue to make strides on Unix, particularly versus RISC-based Unix systems.
• Adoption of 64-bit computing will be slow and vendor driven.
• The surging wireless LANs market will present another hurdle to the rollout of third-generation services.

IDC also says to look for grid computing to replace Web services as the "most-hyped" new technology.