"I've been in the trenches of those wars for years. I've written
about Windows since the days of Windows 2.0, including numerous
books and hundreds or even thousands of articles, blogs and
columns. Along the way, I've been called every name in the book --
and many you won't find in any books, either -- by Linux
proponents, because I've extolled the benefits of Windows, while
ignoring those of Linux.
"So I thought it was finally time to confront the issue myself.
How does Linux stack up against Windows? Which is really easier to
use and less expensive? Which actually lets you be more productive?
In short: Could I live without Windows at all and run my life on
Linux for two weeks without spending a penny for software? Since
one of Linux's great virtues is that it, and many of the
applications that run under it, are open source, part of the
attraction for me was to see if I could use an operating system and
applications that were completely free."
