[ Thanks to Doug
Bostrom for this link. ]
“Competitors, emboldened since the Justice Department brought
its lawsuit, no longer fear the traditional power players such as
Intel and Microsoft. And Microsoft’s business partners have found
that many consumers don’t want or need the cumbersome PC operating
systems to surf the Internet for information, shopping and
communication.”
“A range of mobile products, from Internet-accessible cellular
phones and handheld computer organizers to games consoles and music
download devices, have hit the market with brisk sales.”
“Increasingly, those devices are incorporating alternatives
to the Windows operating systems that run on more than 90 percent
of the world’s personal computers — such as the operating system
Linux, which is not proprietary and thus free to
developers.“
“Just in the past week, Gateway Computer announced it planned to
market two simplified computers for Internet access using a version
of Linux with Transmeta’s new Crusoe power-saving computer chip —
a move seen as a further blow to the “Wintel” Microsoft-Intel
powerhouse combination.”
“David Ditzel, chief executive of Transmeta, said the Windows
operating system and Linux “are really the two OS platforms that
will be dominant for the next five years.” But, he noted, “Linux is
becoming increasingly popular.”