“But are they any longer? Microsoft’s detractors say that any
program should be bug-free, cheap or not. Almost to prove that
point, along comes the biggest potential threat to the familiar
Windows brand for some years – Linux, whose emblem is a cheeky
penguin. Linux is noticeably bug-free compared with Windows 95 and
is finally available to download from the net, restyled in
consumer-friendly guise. It may be initially harder to use, and
requires the obsessive tweaking that characterised an earlier era
of computers, but it rarely crashes – and when it does, it can be
fixed quickly.”
“So how much would you pay for that peace of mind? How about
nothing? Linux is entirely free from the outset. You are
positively encouraged to give copies away to friends. If you are a
manufacturer, you can customise it and give it away with your PC.
If you are writing a killer consumer application, you could bundle
it with your program at no extra charge. Uniquely, Linux is written
by thousands of volunteers – many of whom are regarded as some of
the best programmers in the world. Its creator, the 30-year-old
Finnish coder Linus Torvalds, writes only a small part of it. And
everyone, for the good of the operating system, gives their
improvements away free.”