Contrary to what the headlines would have us believe, the biggest threat to Microsoft's continued dominance, at present, is not Linux. It is older versions of Windows. The biggest threat to Linux is not Microsoft, but rather integration and interoperability issues among various Linux distributions and their applications.

Can an annoyed Windows user find happiness in a multiplatform environment? Our editor tried the Mac and Linux--and came away impressed.

Rivalry between different derivatives of OpenSolaris has already begun, two weeks after Sun Microsystems' initial code release.

Most of us have been conditioned for so long that the Microsoft "platform" is essential that we scarcely pause to think about alternatives. But as long as we can perform our essential tasks - print that report, send that email - does the operating system really matter?

Dubbed 'SchilliX' after its principal developer, the first operating system based on OpenSolaris has been released, days after Sun Microsystems freed the massive code base.

Although incidences of profanity and swearing are rare in the ten million lines of the newly-released OpenSolaris code, the ones that do exist reveal programmers' frustration with their art.

Competitors and analysts are waiting to see whether possible Linux challenger OpenSolaris will build enough of a community to change Sun's business future.

With servers, where there is a good economic model, Linux would clearly remain favored over Apple because of much deeper support from companies like HP and IBM. But on the desktop, for most users, Tiger is the clear winner. It has better desktop application bundles, better customer support, better hardware, good value and is easier to use.