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There's a trend on Computer Forums at the moment. It goes something like this:

"If Microsoft forces me to upgrade to Vista by withdrawing XP when it says it will, then I'm going to change to Linux."

The question is, why wait till then?

The biggest problem with Vista is probably not Vista itself: it's Microsoft. Microsoft is the 200 lb gorilla. It can stand where it likes. It currently dominates the operating system market, and is riding that wave. As things currently stand, it's unlikely to lose much market share. Macintosh is expensive, and Linux lacks a marketing and advertising department. Microsoft wants to get rid of XP, and so it will, whether diehards exist or not. Microsoft has moved from being the Good Guys back in the early days of Windows, to being the Bad Guys, the epitome of Corporate Greed and Arrogance.

Vista is not an upgrade: it's an entirely different operating system. You need new drivers for everything, new (expensive) software and usually new hardware as well. As far as interface goes, everything has moved. It's not where it was in XP, so you have a learning curve.

Linux is also an entirely different operating system. You will need new drivers for everything, new (free) software and preferably older hardware so that the drivers have already been written. And you'll have a learning curve for the interface. The major difference between the two is price. You don't have to pay for the operating system or software, and you don't have to fork out for the fastest processor and mega-memory. The advantages are multiple. You no longer have to deal with an arrogant corporation. Nor do you have the problem of deciding whether you need a home edition or a business edition or a home plus edition or... you get the idea. Nor do you have to worry too much about security: Ubuntu 7.10 beat Vista and Mac OS X hands down at the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver recently.

What Microsoft needs to see, and be alarmed about, is rising usage of Linux. It needs to see businesses moving from Windows to Linux. How many businesses need specialised Windows apps? The savings on hardware and software should easily cover the premium for Linux skills. Microsoft also needs to see home users moving to Linux, especially those who simply want internet and basic office work. Ubuntu is a user-friendly desktop that makes you forget that Linux was once exclusively geek territory.

If you're threatening to change to Linux, don't wait for the axe to fall on XP. Take charge of your computer and do it now.

Learn more about this author, Janet Pieterse.
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