Windows v Linux

"Also, the kindred trends of Web 2.0 and cloud computing -- which rely more on Internet-connected services than powerful operating systems -- are making Windows less important than it used to be."

Somebody needs to explain this to me. Taken from a Yahoo Business article, the author it seems it hardly up to speed on software technology.

What I mean by that is the reference to Windows as a more powerful operating system then Linux. When did that happen? If the power of an OS is interpreted as it's ability to run the most pay-to-use software well then yes I suppose then Windows would win. Even that gap is closing, however, as software like WINE makes it easier then ever to get Windows based software to run under Linux. Actually in one interesting example. A game I own, Elder Scrolls III, would not run under Windows XP no matter how many tweaks and changes I made but ran fine right after install in Linux using WINE.

Back to the point. There is nothing I can think of to say that Linux is underpowered compared to Redmon's offerings. Linux is more stable, more secure and more adaptable then Windows has ever been or may ever be.

I can tweak my favorite distro and get it to run on an old Compaq that has only 24MBs RAM and Pentium II. Show me a way to do that with Vista.

I can aquire every piece of software I need to make any of my machines peform there intended functions effiecently for free. Distributions are chosen based on the needs of the machine or a fresh kernel is compiled. Software is a sudo apt-get install away. A little time and that spare box I had lying around became a local DHCP and FTP server. For no additional cost. To avoid 'piracy' with Vista (or XP for that matter) would have required purchasing another license. Then the software from whatever vendor to run it.

I can easily run any intense number crunching task under Linux. If you want to talk raw power just look at some of the benchmarks availible comparing Linux and Vista. Without all the bloat that is Windows all of the programs I've tested run faster on a Linux box specced the same.

I have far less fear running a Linux box online as well. Of course I understand net secuirty and keep my iptables up to date and an anti-virus daemon running via clamav, but I do all of these things for the one remaining Windows computer in the house as well and that one picks up over 100 instances of spyware and viruses a month. This may be partially due to the user of that machine, but still. My Linux computers have all together been infected... zero times. (And I have nine of them)

So explain to me please, how Windows is the more 'powerful' operating system. I can do more better, faster, easier, and cheaper with Linux and it wasn't even that hard to learn.