Reding OS news I stumbled over this article that ran my bloodpressure up because it's on the Microsoft monopoly issue. I begun with hating microsofts because their unfair politics on customers and on the free market but my anger was not constructive at all. Now I don't hate it any more, it has no point, but learn every day about alternatives that are free (open-source) and that can do for many people or even businesses and advocate those in front of my friends and acquaintances (hope wrote that right :-) ). On the other hand i now appreciate people inside Microsoft as they are very good programmers indeed and i don't blame everyone there for microsoft windows's errors and bluescreens. They are good at business and marketing inspite of linux beeing most of the cases better and they know it. They just know to promote their product and they give people what people want not what is good for them. It's just like in a Fast Food: french fries are tasty but very unhealthy as well as many other products ( see Coca Cola and co. ) that sell because people actually prefer what is tasty (and easy to use in the case of Win). Ok, now i'll point you to the article i was talking about. It's like 3 days old and hope you'll enjoy it as much as i did and spread it ;-)

http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/50001/index.html

You know why they call coke, coke classic?, because they made a diffrent coke that was by all means better, tastier, and even cheeper, but the people didn't like the new coke, so we're back to origional coke. Another example tooth paste tubes, for the longest time they all had screw off lids, science showed that flip off lids were faster, more efficant, didn't get gumed up with tooth paste,ect. But the people couldn't figure it out so here we are back at twist off lids.

Linux may be cheeper, faster, more stable, ect. But that doesn't matter, they use and like windows. And so windows stays, they only thing that might bring it down is, well I can't think if anything right now

Most people are pretentious and ignorant, let's face it. I prefer Firefox over IE, but for most people, a browser is a browser, and I understand that. But look how 'trendy' it is to bash IE and claim to love FF. In a few years it'll be some other browser in fashion and FF will be shunned for becoming too IE-like.
Likewise, for most people Windows is just the OS. Big whoop. If they know that everything they could want to use in terms of internet, software, hardware, etc. is certainly compatible with Windows, then why risk switching to the unknown? The problem with open source is that there's no profit-mongering corporations spending millions to promote it. It takes time for word to get around that solid, secure alternatives are available.
Yes, Microsoft is just another company making and marketing a product. Consider, though, OpenOffice. Is this just revenge of Sun and the folks from Netscape on Microsoft for giving away a free browser? "Microsoft killed Netscape with free IE, so Sun and Netscape people will try to kill MS Office with the free (and superior) OpenOffice product?
I just laugh as I continue to enjoy better and better free software