Microsoft, as we all know, is in a gigantic anti-trust law suit currently. This suit, which the government will win win, is going to greatly hamper the way that Microsoft can do bussiness. This suit will prevent Microsoft form doing what it has always done, dominate the software industry. Currently the trial is in a recess, and is supposed to resume sometime this month. Before the trial paused, many Microsoft witnesses were chewed up and spit out by the goverments lawyer. The only reason why Microsoft is so big is that it can dominate the industry. When we see that the government stops Microsoft from dominating the software industry, we will see that it can no longer take in huge profitts. The Sun lawsuit is going to dig into Microsofts profits. Microsoft will both have to pay a very heavy fine and pay numerous legal fees.
Java, which is being developed by Sun Microsystems, will be the future of computing. It allows to computers that don't have the same opperating system to "talk" to each other. This language has HUGE potential, and the main money-maker of tomorrow will be the ability to communicate from one commputer to the other. Tomorrow the internet will rule everything, all of our programs will run on the internet, and we won't need any huge opperating system to run our programs. This will mean that Sun will be the company of tomorrow, that I believe that it will soon replace Microsoft as the biggest company in the world.
Linux is a free, open source operating system. This means that any one can get it for free, and anyone who knows how to code can improve it. This is potentially a HUGE competitor with Microsofts exclusive terrtory. It promises to end Window NT, because it provides a better industrial stength, more dependable opperating system. Linux is programmed by a countless number of people across the globe. This means that any bug will be quickly identified and fixed. Microsoft just can't do that. Linux is also able to incorperate new ideas more than Microsoft is. Since any computer programmer has access to the source code, it can produce different versions of itself very quickly. This means that Linux will become easier in the comming years. Microsoft cannot change or test its opperating systems as fast as Linux, and it will soon find that its only advantages over the OS will dissapear.
The biggest threat to Bill Gates is himself. He wants Microsoft to dominate the software industry. He is currently doing that, but he is failing in the way he is doing that. He is trying to pound the other companies into the ground. He doesn't relize, however, that the only way to dominate any industry is to innovate more than any other company. Microsoft is clearly trying to hamper other comany efforts, by "killing" Java and threatening to revoke other companies licence to use Windows. What gates doesn't relize is that it cannot stop every company from innovating.