SummaryLinux and Microsoft operating systems were developed and marketed in two very different ways. Microsoft has become synonymous with monopoly and substandard software, while Linux is based on free, open source and the concept of open standards, full disclosure and sharing. Microsoft tries to discourage consumers from using the Linux solution by suggesting that the operating system is far from perfect, but it remains blind to the problems of its own existing operating system in Windows 95/98 and Windows NT. It is a well-known fact that Microsoft dominates the software market despite these facts. Are they operating within legal and ethical boundaries? And is it possible that they will fall from grace because of this? When you say "I wrote a program that crashed Windows", people look at you blankly and say "Hey, I got those with the system, *for free*".'(Linus Torvalds )IntroductionLinux and Microsoft operating systems have been marketed very differently. The objectives of the two factions are indeed very different. One seems to be geared towards market domination, cornering the market and making as much money as possible, and the other towards creating a free and open source operating system. This may seem overly simplistic with both ends, and perhaps a bit more complicated. This report will examine the differences in how the Linux and Microsoft operating systems were developed and marketed, and how Microsoft rose to fame and the possibilities of its fall from grace.Open SourceThe Significant Difference Between Linux and Microsoft Operating Systems This are the two basic classifications that each of them falls into: open and proprietary. Open systems refers to any point of view... middle of paper ...... finding information on their own rather than accepting what Microsoft gives them, but the educated consumer is a necessity for a prosperous capitalist society.BibliographyWebsites:History of Microsoft (http://www.geocities.com/saurabh_jain1000/Microsoft/history1.htm,05/01/02)History of DOS (http://www.houlden. f9.co.uk/msdos/,05/01/02)Forbes.com People (http://www.forbes.com/people/,06/01/02)Netcraft Survey (http://www.netcraft. com/survey,07/01/02) United States v. Microsoft (http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_index.htm,07/01/02)The Motley Fool – Microsoft versus Linux (http://www.fool.com/portfolios/rulemaker/1999/ rulemaker991124.htm,07/01/02)Books: The Cathedral and the Bazaar (Eric S. Raymond.)Open sources: Voices of the Open Source revolution. (Eric S. Raymond, Tim O'Reilly, Linus Torvalds, et al)Journals:USA Today (issue of 06/01/00)