In 1997 Linux didn't support SMP (multiple CPUs) yet, while Irix (SGI), Solaris (Sun) and Windows NT all did. So it wasn't a good fit at the time for server and high-end workstation installations.
Sun had the lion's share of Internet server installations at the time, but Microsoft's IIS was beginning to nip at their heels. Linux was what we played with at home, because it was "close enough" to what we worked on at the office, but didn't require us to spend thousands on hardware.
Support for SMP in the kernel was introduced in version 2.0 which was released in June 1996. It wasn't that mature but it was definitely there. It was only by 1999-2000 with version 2.2 improvements and a bunch of consumer-level dual-core boards like the Abit BP6 that Linux SMP really started becoming popular and usable for workstations.
Sun had the lion's share of Internet server installations at the time, but Microsoft's IIS was beginning to nip at their heels. Linux was what we played with at home, because it was "close enough" to what we worked on at the office, but didn't require us to spend thousands on hardware.