Linux is becoming a household word - just like Windows was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many Open Source software programs are displacing Microsoft's products. Microsoft is witnessing its own decline in mindshare - the very thing that got them where they are today. They're also witnessing their decline in market share in the server space. The desktop is next.
Real innovation occurs when people and companies have open access to the marketplace.
Microsoft can no longer compete in open markets. It's days are numbered. Ed Sawicki Open source software is built on a different economic model than proprietary software. In open source circles, programmers build prestige and reputation by contributing software. The more the software is circulated and used, the greater the programmer's prestige.