Diskeeper Considering Linux, Mac OS X Defrag Software

The VAR Guy double-checked this rumor and got confirmation: Diskeeper may leap beyond Windows to offer disk defragmentation software on Linux and Mac OS X. What’s motivating the potential Diskeeper moves? Here’s the scoop.

First, a little background: As of June 2007, Diskeeper had sold more than 25 million licenses of its disk defragmentation software for Windows. Over the years, The VAR Guy has repeatedly asked sources close to Diskeeper whether the company planned to port its software over to Linux and Mac OS X. The standard reply: “Not at this time.”

But last night, during a casual conversation, one trusted source told The VAR Guy that Diskeeper was taking another close look at Linux and Mac OS X. If The VAR Guy was a betting man with cash in hand, he’d bet Mac OS X support is coming, and Linux support is potential on tap for the long haul.

So, why is Diskeeper reconsidering the Mac OS X and Linux markets? Three potential answers:

1. More Predictable Code Changes: On the Linux front, Diskeeper had been concerned about keeping pace with rapid changes to Linux’s kernel, as well as continued changes from Linux distributions. But as Linux matured and long term Linux became more popular, Diskeeper’s market concerns subsided.

2. Virtualization: Every virtual machine is subject to fragmentation, claims one source close to Diskeeper. So if a server is running dozens of virtual machines (Windows or Linux), that’s an opportunity for Diskeeper to sell dozens of new licenses.

3. Market Share: Yes, Mac OS X’s market share has climbed steadily in recent years, nearly nearly 10 percent of the desktop/laptop market in 2008, up from 7.3 percent in 2007, notes Netapplications.com. Mac OS X’s momentum has forced Diskeeper to take a second look at the Apple market.

That’s all for now. This is a pretty big blog entry for a pretty small rumor.

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