Are Linux server's "green"?

Ten ways Linux can turn you green suggests that, yes they are, but I don't quite follow all the reasoning. Most green web hosting providers do offer their services on Linux so it is worth pondering what role Linux would play in this quest.

First, the article considers other aspects than power consumption. Reduced landfill: There was a study in 2004 stating that IT shops with Windows servers tend to replace their equipment more often than do Linux shops. Well, 2004 was in the dark ages so maybe that was true, but one concern in that era was a push by Microsoft for Windows NT v4 shops to "upgrade" to Windows XP. Microsoft has a huge incentive (their income) to push IT shops to "upgrade" whereas Linux shops don't have the same incentive. This may cause Microsoft to force an IT shop to upgrade before the system truly deserves to be upgraded.

In any case the point here is that each server computer represents a quantity of physical stuff and energy used to manufacture that server, and when the server is retired they're typically not recyclable. That by itself is a sustainability issue, the nonrecyclability of computer equipment and all the toxic metals embedded in them.

Some of the points in the article are power savings in laptops. While that's important the scope of this blog is greening web servers, not notebooks.

One main point of distinction between a Windows and Linux server is that, being an open source operating system, a Linux server can be more easily modified for your needs. A Windows server, being closed source, is harder to modify for your needs and the range of modifications you can perform are controlled by the vendor. Linux lets you recompile the kernel as you desire, add features, etc, and there are a large range of people who focus on modifying and tweaking Linux based on their own desires. Windows does not offer the same degree of freedom that Linux offers.

On the other hand a green web hosting provider does not let you, the renter of their service, to do these kinds of tweaks. You're at the mercy of whatever service they offer. The green web hosting provider may or may not take steps to optimize the power consumption of their server, and rely only on the renewable energy credits they buy to call themselves "green".