[Bush2000]

it's a sad state for development when a corporation is so bad at doing what it monopolizes...

That isn't what motivates these developers. They want to knock MS from its perch as the predominant desktop OS.

[DAnconia55]

They want to knock MS from its perch as the predominant desktop OS.

Which won't happen until MS is well entrenched somewhere else to give them nightmares.

[Anchoragite]

They want to knock MS from its perch as the predominant desktop OS.

Precisely. They are so bad at what they monopolize (desktop systems & servers), that developers have created a competing product for free. In their spare time. Because they wanted to.