Tridge makes an important point

Tridge makes an important point

Microsoft no longer has the freedom to break competitors' code that it used to have. The wakeup call for them was the massive pushback they got from the corporate world over Vista: most corporate users just refused it. It had some snazzy new features, but it broke stuff, was bloated, and seen as a downgrade in some respects.

Corporate networks aren't all-Microsoft very much. They have a mix of devices, and some use Samba. If Microsoft's new MegaOS doesn't work with Samba, it won't go into the corporate network. Likewise, Linux is the cheapest thing around and is going into a lot of embedded devices. If Microsoft's Service Pack 23 breaks people's digital cameras, word will get out and people won't install it.

Linux has more power than it used to have, because it's getting to the point where it's in everything. We really need to get some surveys done showing just how many copies of Linux the average person in various countries has. Many people have a router that runs Linux, a set-top box or DVR that runs Linux, a cell phone that runs Linux, and a digital camera that runs Linux. Microsoft can't break all that, or people will stick with the old release of Microsoft that interoperates.