“Over the course of the past year or so, Linux has gotten a lot
of media attention. The mainstream press for the first time ever
have taken a serious look at it, and have even stated that it could
knock Microsoft off as the leading software platform. During this
time, the installed base of Linux users has grown tremendously,
further fueling these reports. With all of the other platforms out
there (Mac, BeOS, Solaris, etc.), why Linux? The answer is simple:
Open Source.”
“…So if Linux is neither a dominant player in the desktop
market, nor is it the most technologically superior operating
system (hold off on the flames for a second), then why all of this
hype?”
“Again it all goes back to Open Source. Linux is completely Open
Source, and has a legion of programmers ready, willing and able to
write drivers, debug code, and tinker with the kernel to help
continue to improve the platform. They have made a very good
operating system, one that has a much more solid foundation than
either Windows or Mac has. And since it is Open Source, it has much
more momentum behind it then say BeOS or IRIX has.”