Windows Vista didn’t turn out particularly well and even though it is strengthening, and Microsoft’s numbers have reflected this strength, it is slated for replacement in 2009/10 according to Microsoft. Leopard, which has been delayed until late this year largely to get it up to adequate quality for a true Windows replacement product, will be at its strongest when this new version of Windows comes out. And Linux, now with Dell’s support, is gaining momentum and, with

Oracle now in the mix, is likely to go through some consolidation (in terms of the number of distributions above noise level) by this time. It will be a much stronger competitor as well. Let’s take a look at this future battle. I won’t be calling winners and losers, but will be pointing out the key things to look for to call this fight early.

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