I wrote last year about how 2008 would be the ‘Year of Non-desktop Linux’. As we embark on 2009, I have a similar view, but in keeping with all of the turkey and ham and leftovers from the holidays and to present a more appetizing analogy, I envision the ’2009 Linux Sandwich.’

On the bottom, at the low end of the IT and electronics industry, we see Linux prominent in netbooks, where it is generally agreed the OS has about 30% market share. This continues to be an unprecedented ‘desktop’ opportunity for Linux among consumers as well as its usual geek following. Another place where we see some preference by manufacturers and other vendors for Linux is in lower-end and basic feature phones, which do not necessarily have the pizazz of an iPhone or BlackBerry, but present opportunity with basic phone, camera, GPS, Internet and other capabilities, particularly in emerging markets. Mobile Linux is not limited to the low end of mobile as we see the work from the LiMO Foundation, Open Handset Alliance with Google’s Android and the large swath of hardware, software and services vendors that are members. These vendors and consortia, as well as the soon-to-be open sourced Symbian from Nokia and Symbian Foundation, are all using Linux and open source to create compelling smartphones and applications. This week’s CES provides further evidence that both form factors — netbooks and smartphones — will drive significant growth for Linux this year.

Now let’s skip up to the top of the 2009 Linux Sandwich, which is the open source operating system’s dominance in supercomputing. In ultra high-end computing, where the fastest and most powerful supercomputers are ranked on the list of the Top500 Supercomputer Sites, Linux maintains more than 90% share of the operating systems in use, with no other OS coming close. The strength of Linux in this space, where it is used primarily in clusters, is reinforced by an interconnect and application ecosystem, contrary to where Linux has been historically in most markets. We also see increased competition in HPC as Red Hat goes after higher-end Unix replacement business, Novell looks to maintain SUSE Linux strength, and Microsoft hopes to take advantage of broader enterprise use of HPC with its Windows HPC Server software.

Certainly a sandwich isn’t a sandwich without some goodness between the bread. For those who prefer vegetarian fare, picture a middle layer made of crisp, green lettuce, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers and whatever else you prefer. Carnivores, this is the meat of the Linux sandwich — the all-important middle layer that holds the key to the flavor and keeps you biting and chewing. For the Linux Sandwich of 2009, the middle layer is the use of the OS in the cloud, as the basis for virtual appliances and in other emergent architectures. We’ve seen how Linux is a favorite for cloud computing, and there are a number of vendors, including rPath and JumpBox, using it for virtual appliances. Given current conditions, Linux looks even more attractive given its freedom from royalties, openness, flexibility, scalability and effectiveness.

So when considering the big picture across all of the markets from HPC down to basic cell phones, it seems Linux will be to IT what the sandwich is to lunch in 2009.