“A number of unique consolidations are happening in the industry
just as Microsoft is trying to get a buzz going about Vista. The
timing couldn’t be better, but there are bound to be numerous
shake-outs and a few collapses. And Microsoft looks vulnerable,
too.“The most important event is the formation of the Linux
Foundation. This is an attempt by the major players, including HP,
IBM, and Intel, to create a standard Linux and discourage the
continued trend toward various distros that are subtly incompatible
with each other and certain applications…”