Easy or not easy 860

I think that could happen except for the existence of 'trolls' on both sides.

I'm the first to admit that Linux is not perfect, but it satisfies my particular needs better than MS. Frankly, I got tired of fighting malware infestations and BSODs - but I've not really tried much past Win98 - my general impression is that it's probably better than it used to be, but I certainly cannot abide the XP activation policy. I've not really found anything I need to do that I can't accomplish with Linux - but I realize I'm not like a lot of folks. For example: one big shortcoming for Linux is the absence of tax prep software - there are some online tools, but it's not the same. This does not bother me hugely, since I figure that once you have all the appropriate documents buttembled it's generally not worth the effort to use tax software or take it to a CPA - you've just accomplished 90% of the work - all that remains is putting the numbers on the form - but for some folks this is a biggie.

I use AbiWord and Gnumeric for office tasks, and GIMP for manipulating digital photos - these progs are all Open Source and available for MS too. I also use the panorama tools and develop web pages (using a text editor - I've tried several web authoring tools, and for me they are more work than they are worth).

I can see that MS has it's place - there are some niches it fills uniquely. If I were in charge of an IT empire, I'd certainly try to go Open Source to the largest extent possible. And I'd try to prohibit MS machines from going on the internet - too big a security risk.