Now, don’t take that last paragraph as a confession that I would rather use Microsoft Windows than Linux. I still prefer Linux and linux-based applications. But I use Microsoft and Microsoft-based products, too. And I believe that Linux exists because of how easy and affordable personal computers are. Personal computers, due largely to Microsoft’s efforts, are practically everywhere and are relatively inexpensive. The ubiquity of the PC was definitely, in my opinion, a contributing factor to the creation and adoption of Linux.

So, my new attitude about Microsoft is one of gratitude and goes like this, “Thank you, Microsoft, for helping make the PC an everyday, useful tool in our lives. And thank you, Linus Torvalds, for creating the linux kernel and giving us options!”