[Bush2000]

Talk about a selective reinterpretation of history.

First, M$ targeted Wordperfect.

Yeah, poor unfortunate Wordperfect. They refused to port their DOS-based word processor to a GUI operating system until it was too late. Damn Microsoft!

Then they targeted Lotus. Ditto. Wiped them out.

Same deal. Lotus rested on its laurels and thought that a text-based spreadsheet was the way of the future. Microsoft delivered what customers wanted. Damn Microsoft!

Then they targeted DBase. Ditto. Wiped them out.

This one is just too silly for words. Have you ever used DBase -- and then tried MS Access? No comparison. Damn Microsoft!

Then they targeted Netscape. Ditto. Haven't wiped them out...why? because Netscape/Mozilla is Open Source

Netscape was trying to sell the equivalent of Notepad for browsing the Web. They set the effective price at zero -- I don't know of a single person who ever paid for Netscape -- then, they wondered why their revenue imploded. Damn Microsoft!

Now they target their greatest threat, Linux. they will fail miserably in trying to wipe it out.

So when are you predicting the Great Linux Desktop Takeover? Next year? The year after? How about 5 years? 10 years? Damn Microsoft!

[gitmo]

You forgot to mention that all these apps talk to each other easily. Did you ever try to get WordPerfect into Lotus? (Oh yeah, Lotus viciously targeted Visicalc and wiped them out!) Or get Netscape to integrate with Domino?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

This one is just too silly for words. Have you ever used DBase --?

Gad, I think of the hours spent learning to use DBase years ago and my blood pressure still shoots up. And then it wouldn't do what you wanted it too. No flowers from me on the grave of DBase.

[gore3000]

So when are you predicting the Great Linux Desktop Takeover?

Three years - at most. The game is up. People are tired of throwing software away and buying new one because MS decides it needs to keep their cash stream going. People see that they have to keep learning new systems every 2-3 years to do this and are tired of it - companies as much as individuals. Add to that the EULA, a self inflicted poison pill administered to try to keep the cash flow increasing and you have disaster for MS.

Linux is getting better and easier to use by leaps and bounds. You do not to have to relearn it either. It also comes with 90% of the stuff people use already installed and ready to go and you do not have to pay extra for it either. A good example of how well Linux is developing is Mozilla which took the code from Netscape and now has a much better product than the AOL backed product and IMHO a better product than IE. It may not load as fast but it sure has a lot fewer virus problems and lots more features.