On Tue, 23 Dec 2008, Dean.Benjamin at mm.com wrote:

> Previous reports of Linux imminent death have proven exaggerated.  For 
> that matter, the same can be said of Windows.  Eventually, I expect, one 
> of these stopped clocks will prove accurate.  Here's another.  (Also, my 
> first encounter with the term "netbook".)

Right.  These changes are gradual.  There is no chance that a $500 billion 
behemoth will simply lie down and die.  They have the resources to promote 
their products and they will do so.  The fact that Windows is a crappy OS 
(especially Vista) proves just how powerful Microsoft is and how hard it 
will be to replace them on the desktop.  GNU/Linux doesn't have the 
self-promotional resources to top Windows, and what resources they do have 
are divided between 100 or so different distros.  Obviously, GNU/Linux 
isn't going away either, but for entirely different reasons.  To catch up 
to MS, GNU/Linux will have to be vastly and obviously superior to Windows 
in almost every way.  That might not happen because Microsoft will improve 
their product if they are forced to do so.

At this time, Microsoft's strongest competitors in the OS market are 
earlier versions of their product.  Knowing that future releases will have 
to compete with current releases, Microsoft's incentive is to produce a 
crappy product now, and so they do.  If GNU/Linux starts to eat enough MS 
market share, MS will use some of their $500 billion to improve their OS 
to a point where everyday users will prefer it to GNU/Linux.

Mike


> --
>
> WINDOWS 7: THE LINUX KILLER
> By Preston Gralla / Computerworld / December 22, 2008
> http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/12/22/Windows_7_The_Linux_killer_1.html