In the light of Microsoft’s recent success with Windows Vista- which according to company’s estimates saw more than 40 million copies sold since launch- comes another study from the prestigious IDC, which shows the increasing strength of the open source software.

IDC’s study demonstrated that the growth in adoption of standalone open source software is accelerating and that the total market will be worth $5.8 billion in 2011. According to the same source, the standalone OSS market hit $1.8 billion last year.

"Open source revenues will lag open source adoption. This makes sense because subscription revenues are recognized over the life of a support subscription, and because there's a lot more free use than paid," Matt Asay explains in his Open Sources post.

IDC’s research also showed that the rate of adoption for open source solutions is much higher now than it was in the past, since traditional barriers that stood in front of OSS (including Microsoft’s FUD- fear, uncertainty, doubt- strategy) are now falling apart.

Other positive factors that contribute to OSS’ thriving are the financial backing some open sourcers receive from venture capitalists and the subscription-fee model adopted by middle and large companies, which now feel comfortable to pay less for the services they get.

Software distribution is also growing, but reaping profits out of it will take longer to accomplish, IDC’s researchers found. That's partly because much open source software is free, while other products use a subscription revenue model rather than getting users to pay a lump sum up front.