The objective of this article is to tell a little of the development history of the most competitive industry on the second half of last century, the computers and their operating systems and applications. We'll cast some light on the performance of Microsoft and on how they have influenced in a significant way the unrolling of events, thus becoming the "software's giant it did. Taking a monopolist position, Microsoft caused serious damages to its several market competitors, having in turn collected powerful enemies with a strong disposition to ask much more for their defeats. In the ensuing uncomfortable scenario, Linux, an independent software emerges supported by big companies, including earlier Microsoft opponents. Since then, Linux has been occupying a quite large space in the corporate world, being almost ripe, technologically, to underscore its presence in the market, in Intel architecture. Linux is also getting prepared, on low platform, to invest against the locked market of Windows, and to invade the personal computers world. Has a heavy competitor arrived, at last, to confront the empire?
open source; Microsoft; Linux