Windows Forever

Chicago, Cairo, Vista -- all names of Windows works in progress and all part of the amazing software spin strategy that Microsoft pioneered with so much success. By revealing tantilizing details of coming Windows versions, the software giant has kept corporate IT departments focused on Windows and hopeful about the the future even as system administrators and their end users often grumbled over their current operating system. So, now after 20 years, it is safe to say that Windows is here to stay.Love it or hate it, Windows has come to dominate the desktop and change the way end users work. In spite of much criticism from tech-savvy types, the operating system has played an indisputable role in making businesses more productive and more efficient. That isn't to say Microsoft has gone unchallenged at the desktop. We've seen some formidable alternatives through the years, ranging from Apple to Linux.

Yet even as we enter an age where Linux is taking a real hold in some organizations as an alternative to Windows and not just a replacement for Unix, Microsoft still remains comfortable in its position. I think it is fair to say there is room for alternatives but Windows is a long, long way from losing its position as the monarch of the desktop. Happy anniversary Windows, as challenging as my own relationship has been at times with you, in the long run, you've done more good than I would like to admit.