At least try to get the thread title right. You can only insert it once.

You don't seriously believe that, do you? The support costs are 100% optional. The OEMs that do offer Linux offer the support as an additional option, like they would offer preinstalled antivirus. If you don't choose it, it's free.

What does rivalize mean.

I tried looking it up in my dictionary but there is no entry.

It should come between rival and rivalry but its not there.

Yes.  These are both good points.

Lets face it a lot of people who use computers do not know or care how to use or find all its features, they want to turn it on do whatever and turn it off when they have finished.

Say defrag, drivers or perform a windows update and they look at you funny!  And this is an OS they are familiar with!

Offering them Linux just confuses them even more! sudo-h

Agree Soleron, the truth is Windows is in decline. It's still a beast with it's market share but it's being attacked from all angles.

Online office applications are/could be the future. Many offices/users are already dumping the MS office suite to make use of this online service. Lost of sales for MS.

As already stated the netbook market is the fastest growing, again lost of revenue for MS as they don't make that much money with it compared to XP/Vista. Sales of XP/Vista computers are down.

As an investor in cloud computing technology I might come across as anti-MS.

This is not the case. I just want my investment to do well, if MS must take some profit hits so be it.

Well, I'm an open-source/free software supporter, and from my point of view cloud computing is much worse for the consumer than mere closed-source binaries.

- No hope of interoperability or competition, as data can't be transferred between services easily and you only have one choice as to how to access that service

- Data isn't under users' control, so can be sold for marketing purposes or restricted using DRM

- Turns one-time fees into subscriptions which increases costs long-term at no benefit to the consumer

- When services expire or change data can be lost: see all the music DRM schemes which closed down leaving people without the music they paid for

- If governments adopt these technologies (which they will if enough marketing money and corporate power is behind it), people who didn't choose the service will be forced to use it anyway. For example, I am forced to use Microsoft Sharepoint in order to do schoolwork. I have no choice but to use Internet Explorer to interface with parts of it, (and I can't refuse to use it otherwise I would fail my course) so that is one of the reasons I have to use a Windows OS.

I think Squilliam might be talking about all the hidden economic costs of using Linux. That includes any time a user needs to spend to learn how to install, configure, and operate a Linux system and it includes any opportunity costs for software which is challenging or impossible to use in a Linux environment. And outside of support contracts, it's probably easier to find some kid to fix up the Windows machine that you're too unskilled to maintain properly yourself than it is to find a kid who can smooth out the Linux distro that isn't installing properly for you.

These hidden costs are what are really holding back Linux, since obviously the price tag isn't a barrier. If the cost of using Linux for many people wasn't higher than using Windows, they'd be using Linux already.

I would gladly dump Windows for Ubuntu. I'm waiting for better graphic drivers and STEAM for Linux. Hopefully Steam for Linux will bring the card makers along with them. I'm really hating all the limitations that Microsoft puts on their OS's. I can WAY more easily upgrade my version of Linux then I can Windows to utitilize the hardware I bought (minus the vid card).

I've always loved the linux ideology but as an actual OS for my needs it just isn't suitable. It still has a long way to go before its acceptable for mass consumer usage, being free really isn't that important, if it was Linux would be the market leader, it isn't.

Theres also the support costs for the OEMs to consider as well. How much it costs for the technical support over the phone, returned computers etc are all important.

But yes, thats what I was saying.