Seattle Times: Nimble Edge Slowly Erodes for Microsoft

“As bleak as the technology sector looks, there’s one bright
spot: The Microsoft monopoly is dead…

“But monopolies, which take years to build, collapse slowly. And
historians seldom point toward market share as the meaningful
indicator of a monopoly’s demise…

“To understand how the process is working, it’s important to
recognize a few points. Much has been made about open-source and
Linux software being free. In reality, they are low-cost
alternatives: One leading vendor, Red Hat Linux, has made money for
several quarters, which would be quite a coup if it gave away its
products…”

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