Can Linux Overtake Windows in OS War?

Microsoft execs have little reason to stay up at night worrying about Linux taking over, said Pund-IT analyst Charles King. Microsoft still has a commanding lead in the market, he said, but Linux growth is real and should continue to find adoption as a generation emerges that is more technically inclined and less attached to the Microsoft brand.

While Novell's CEO is calling for Linux to expand its market, the Linux Foundation's executive director is declaring that the open-source OS is moving into its second stage of growth.

At the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco, Linux Foundation exec Jim Zemlin told attendees what they probably already knew: The battle for computing platform supremacy is ultimately between Linux and a certain software giant in Redmond, Washington.

"Windows is not going to go away," Zemlin asserted in his Wednesday speech. Moreover, he added, Microsoft deserves respect. The way Zemlin sees it, Microsoft has done a good job executing public relations campaigns and creating doubt about open-source software and the legal issues related to its use.