Forget the Desktop; Linux Could Provide Windows for the Web.

To the hardcore Linux fan, dominance will not be attained until Linux can compete directly with Windows on the desktop. This tenet has spawned a community of literally hundreds of developers working on KDE, GNOME and others in order to come up with the magical interface that will spell the end to Microsoft's tyranny. But is this really necessary for Linux to be successful?

Maybe not, as it could be argued that Microsoft will eventually retire Windows on its own in favor of Web-based applications. The Microsoft.net initiative was created under the assumption that future applications will be run from a Web browser rather than a desktop. The success of ThinkFree Office proves that this is a viable solution, something that Microsoft is acutely aware of. The fact that the software giant is already taking steps towards this goal means that the paradigm shift is already underway, and no one knows the market better than Microsoft. It also spells the death knell for Windows.

Enter Linux. If you needed to do critical work via a web-browser, and needed an OS that provided a high level of reliability, which would you choose: Linux or Windows? There's no comparison.

Linux should quit trying to compete on the desktop and go with its strengths: reliability and scalability. Both are attributes that could catapult Linux to the top of the Web-based applications market. Yet there is little development going on. Rest assured, however, that Microsoft is hard at work building solutions that will take advantage of this future trend.