[Joe Bonforte]

"It is early to call this a threat to Microsoft and Windows, as the percentages (of users) are still low. But the numbers are growing, and at some point users will be able to buy computers with preloaded Linux, printers and other devices that come with Linux drivers, and desktop applications that come in both Windows and Linux versions," said Red Hat's de Visser, "Once that happens, the threat to Microsoft Windows will become very real."

This is the meat of the article, and the only part that is not unabashed Linux cheerleading. The stuff about how expensive Windows and Office are ignore the fact that when they are pre-loaded they don't cost much, and when you have to get Linux from somebody charging $60-100, there is little or no difference in price.

Pre-loaded stuff is different. It could actually make a difference on the PC's price of around $100, and would bypass the installation problems non-techical folks can get into. For people who just want to browse the Internet and do documents, this might be attractive.

But I think Microsoft is always going to be ahead in some fashion. They can invest money trying new things. If speech recognition ever gets real, for example, you can bet it will do it on Windows. And .NET will cause more rich client apps to appear, and those will not run on Linux anytime soon. If a killer app comes along in .NET, Linux on the client will suffer a real setback.

[new cruelty]

Yeah, the article did come off as a promo for Linux. At any rate, raising the bar (as this hopes to do) is good for the consumer.

[thulldud]

If a killer app comes along in .NET, Linux on the client will suffer a real setback.

"It Ain't Necessarily So." Mono will be there.

[irv]

The stuff about how expensive Windows and Office are ignore the fact that when they are pre-loaded they don't cost much, and when you have to get Linux from somebody charging $60-100, there is little or no difference in price.

You don't have to spend that kind of money. I'll mail you the CDs, free. And it's legal. If you have broadband, you can download them yourself. Free. I was disappointed in the article for downplaying that aspect.

[unspun]

But I think Microsoft is always going to be ahead in some fashion. They can invest money trying new things. If speech recognition ever gets real, for example, you can bet it will do it on Windows. And .NET will cause more rich client apps to appear, and those will not run on Linux anytime soon. If a killer app comes along in .NET, Linux on the client will suffer a real setback.

Good points. From where I sit, it still looks like the Java family is where more (and more) applications and applet developers are living. The recent court ruling helps there too. Eh?

[B Knotts]

If speech recognition ever gets real, for example, you can bet it will do it on Windows.

VoiceType Dictation was in the box with IBM OS/2 Warp 4. That was in 1996. I used it on a Pentium 120. It was a bit of a hassle to go through all the training exercises, but it worked fairly well. Best for someone with their own office with a closed door, though. :-P