"If nothing else... Microsoft owns the desktop until they are unable to e.g. scare netbook builders to stop selling preinstalled Linux." I know we discussed th

"If nothing else... Microsoft owns the desktop until they are unable to e.g. scare netbook builders to stop selling preinstalled Linux." I know we discussed this the other day (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=666787 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=666787) but I think it's more a case of brand imprinting than anything. When you have clueless people who buy new computers (which make up the vast majority of the consumer market), one of the things they look for is what version of windows does it come with. To me, for another OS to actively take significant market share in this dominated space, they would have to overcome this preconception that consumers have. To liken it to another industry, it would be like a new softdrink manufacturer having to compete against Coca Cola (with Apple being Pepsi) with their own cola brand. People instinctively go for one or the other when they go buy a cola, even if there are better products that are cheaper on the shelf. That's really what it boils down too. So while Linux may be free and a superior product (I personally switched to Ubuntu about 8 months ago) - it requires much more momentum than what the Linux community has right now. Which is a damn shame.