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Four experts defend their chosen operating systems in an opinionated free-for-all OS SmackdownLinux Light on its feet and ready to strut its stuff Mac OS X All you need in one dynamite packageWindows Vista The best there is (despite the bad rep)Windows XP Hands down, the choice of the people Since the dawn of time -- or, at least, the dawn of personal computers -- the holy wars over desktop operating systems have raged, with each faction proclaiming the unrivaled superiority of its chosen OS and the vile loathsomeness of all others. No matter how fierce the language or convincing...

SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Judging by the grief that Microsoft is getting over delays in the release of Windows Vista, and the buzz surrounding the price it plans to charge for the next generation operating system, you'd think we were all hankering to get our hands on this hot new piece of software. Don't believe the hype: There won't be lines around the block at midnight when Vista hits store shelves early next year, analysts say. More from Business 2.0 Fall phone preview - thin is in BlackBerry's Pearl is brainy The greenest office in America Fastest Growing...

Thanks to new directory software, Windows Vista could put a greater load on Internet servers. But experts disagree over whether we're headed for a prime-time traffic jam or insignificant slowdown. Microsoft's launch of Windows Vista could slow down or stall traffic on the Net, said Paul Mockapetris, who is widely credited with inventing the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). Mockapetris believes Vista's introduction will cause a surge in DNS traffic because the operating system supports two versions of the Internet Protocol, a technology standard used to send information over computer networks. "It is going to be mud season on the...