[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Also at network World:

Why Windows 7 will crush Linux

By Ron Barrett on Fri, 01/09/09 - 3:04pm.

[Uncle Miltie]

This is impossible because Linux killed Microsoft in 2003. We all know that. It was predicted confidently.

[ShadowAce]

[stainlessbanner]

One doesn't "own" the open source software world - even Torvalds will tell you that.

MS has representation on many standards bodies. The last thing we need is another operating system from MS right now

[Sudetenland]

Uhh, okay Keith...whatever you say. /rolleyes

Linuxites have been predicting the triumph of Linux over Windows for a long time. Until vendors start writing drivers to support Linux and programs to work on Linux, this is just the ganja talking.

[devane617]

Apple has it right by having its core based on unix/linix. MSFT should have done the same LONG ago.

[SkyDancer]

Isn’t there a problem with System 7? I read where during an install the PC keeps booting over and over and there’s no way to get back to Vista ...

[Billthedrill]

Timing is everything. Novell tried a similar transition. Remember them?

[RichardW]

This is hogwash. Windows 7 works just fine. Linux is fine for those with a lot of time on their hands. Most people don’t.

[papasmurf]

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

If MS built its own Linux OS...wouldn't it bear a striking resemblance to another popular OS already out there on millions of machines?

I think they call it Mac...something.

[tacticalogic]

I’m still waiting to see the mythical open-source Exchange killer.

[KoRn]

As bad as Windows has been during the past three or so years, this is a golden opportunity for Linux or another OS to really take off. Vista had to be one of the worst operating systems I’ve ever seen. It’s right up there with Windows ME. Sure it isn’t as unreliable as ME, but on balance, the terrible design/user experience makes it as bad ME to run on your machine. I still can’t believe Microsoft actually paid for the development of such a terrible OS.(that’s saying something)

Windows 7 appears to be an improvement, but it’s still built on that terrible Vista UI, it only asks you fewer questions while using it. IMO, Microsoft needed to completely start from scratch to recover from Vista, and with Win7 they haven’t done that. The only hope Win7 has going for it is that it doesn’t seem to have the overwhelming negative vibe that in the user community that Vista had when it was released.

I believe we are seeing the beginning of the end of Microsoft’s dominance in the home desktop PC market. Within 10 years I expect Linux, and especially Mac to be at a parity with Windows. I was at a Best Buy tonight, and I thought it was very telling that almost as much floor space was dedicated to Mac machines as Windows. To the end user population out there, it’s no longer ‘cool’ to use Windows, and in that environment people will give a serious look at computers that aren’t running Windows while shopping.