Microsoft Fears Linux?

I am not really sure if I would say any competing OS is a direct threat to Windows. Not because there is anything wrong with them, rather they are catering to different markets. So while it is true that the netbooks could slowly begin to shift this to where MS needs to worry about that segment of the market, I do not think they have much to fear.

That being said, Google entering the netbook market could shake things up. Because of the nature of netbooks, we really should not be hearing many people whining that their copies of Word ‘97 are not running on this Linux powered option. Rather I expect that the younger crowd, already using Google Docs, will be the main point of interest as Google enters the market with Chrome OS.

This article does little more than point out some facts. Yes, Linux is competing successfully with Windows as it is targeting those who happen to be interested in something new. No, it does not have a significant market share yet. However anyone claiming that they have firm numbers on what an OS that is given away is would be lying. At this point, we can suffice it to say that the numbers on the international scale are impressive but are not a threat just yet.