AbstractThe Linux and Microsoft operating systems were developed and marketed in two very different ways. Microsoft has become synonymous with monopoly and bad software, while Linux is based on free, open source and the concept of open standards, full disclosure and sharing. Microsoft attempts to discourage consumers from using the Linux solution by suggesting that the operating system is far from perfect, but remains blind to the problems with its operating system that exist in Windows 95/98 and Windows NT. It is well known that Microsoft dominates the software market despite these facts. Do they operate within legal and ethical boundaries? And is it possible for them to fall into disgrace because of it? "When you say, 'I wrote a program that crashed Windows,' people stare at you blankly and say, 'Hey, I got them with the system, *for free*.'" (Linus Torvalds)IntroductionThe Linux and Microsoft Operating Systems they have been marketed very differently. The objectives of the two factions are in fact very different. One seems to be oriented towards market domination, market cornering and maximum possible profit, and the other towards creating a free operating system. and open source. This may seem too simplistic with both ends and may be a little more complicated. This report will look at the differences in the way Linux and Microsoft operating systems were developed and marketed, the way Microsoft became. famous and the possibilities of its fall from grace.Open SourceThe significant difference between Linux and Microsoft operating systems are the two basic classifications that each of them falls into: open and proprietary. Open systems refers to any standard… middle of paper… discover information on their own rather than accepting what Microsoft provides them, but the educated consumer is a necessity for a successful capitalist society. Bibliography Websites: 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 against Microsoft (http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_index.htm,07/01/02) The Motley Fool – Microsoft against Linux (http://www.fool.com /portfolios /rulemaker/1999/rulemaker991124.htm,07/01/02)Books:The Cathedral and the Bazaar (Eric S. Raymond.)Open Source: Voices from the Open Source Revolution. (Eric S. Raymond, Tim O'Reilly, Linus Torvalds and others) Magazines: USA Today (published by 06/01/00)