Sales of Windows-based servers has pulled even with those of Unix-based boxes for the first time ever, according to first quarter 2005 sales figures from researcher IDC.

In an overall up server market, IDC counted $4.2bn worth of Microsoft Windows server sales on the back of 12 percent growth. Total Unix sales also hit $4.2bn in the period, IDC said, on 3 per cent revenue growth. Those totals left Microsoft and Unix systems holding 35 per cent of the server market each.