I'm reluctant to republish the content of others (as so many sites already do), but .. I found it interesting & noteworthy that » Microsoft has acknowledged Linux as a threat .. especially since I spent so many hours in Linux these past few weeks (learning the Unix shell)
Copy-n-paste snippet (minor Rad-editing for brevity):
"Microsoft acknowledges Linux as the first viable competitor to its Windows client business, due to the use of Linux on netbooks, which are rising in prominence as an alternative to full-sized notebooks.
Microsoft cited Red Hat and Canonical -- the latter of which maintains the Ubuntu Linux distribution -- as competitors to its client business, which includes the desktop version of its Windows OS." </snippet>
Notice how the article said » DESKTOP, and not server. Linux has long been a dominant force in the server market (.. if not the dominant force).
It's difficult to describe why Linux is so cool .. why using it feels so fresh & clean. But I think it has something to do with the good intentions .. that come from thousands of talented programmers donating their time & expertise .. to bring you (for free) an operating system they obviously believe in.
I might be imagining it, but I think you can actually feel these good intentions (while using Linux). Can you feel the difference (in intentions) between someone who genuinely loves you, and someone who is paid to love you?
Moreover, I feel our economy has a lot to do with the Linux threat to the Microsoft desktop. No matter how compelling the product, basic economics suggest it's hard to compete with free. (Which Windows is not.) And in these troubled economic times, free means more than it used to.
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I also feel the krappy economy is what's driving sales of (cheap) netbooks over that of conventional laptops. More & more I've seen these 'netbooks' showing up on tables at the local coffee shop, where they can do more than just surf the Web. (I'm gonna start asking what OS they're running.)
But most of all, I think it's because Linux is now much easier to use than it was than before. The Ubuntu motto is it "Just Works." And their community support is great.
Those unfamiliar with Linux might find the following entry helpful » Best Way to Learn Linux » Via an Ubuntu Virtual Machine, or maybe Magoo's intro. Feel the love.
UPDATE: Noticed a big guy at the coffee shop this morning huddled over a small (10-inch) screen. Said he got it on sale at Fry's just this week for $350 + tax. It was running Windows XP tho, with 1-gig of memory and a 1.6 GHz CPU at a screen resolution of 1024x600. Toshiba. I think a "netbook" is just a term used to describe a small notebook/laptop.
For more along these lines, here's a Google search for the query » microsoft linux windows ubuntu red hat
