Hm, I'm not sure why the point is being missed. Current Linux installations are just as easy as windows 2000. There are some aspects which might trip up a new user, when you get into configuration issues, but most of those features are set reasonably right out of the box. This has nothing to do with Gates, nor MS. It's simply about a third OS that has the best of all worlds: ease of use, highly configurable, and high stability. The major factor that is lacking, is consumer software. Of course, most vendors aren't just going to give away their hours for a dozen users, but there will be a point at which consumer software will be an economically sound investment. Some of us are just hoping it will be sooner than later. My intent for this thread, was simply to get a feel for the numbers of linux users who are stuck using windows. Response count is pretty much what I figured (feared), but the numbers will likely grow. As for companies who are still rolling out windows systems for server stuff, they are simply ill-informed. The real costs for hiring MCSEs to play with windows servers (which require a lot more regular attention) is much more expensive than companies initially expect. Often, the numbers of these technicians has to be higher because of the frequency of problems. 2 yearly salaries at 40K is still less than 1 at 60K, and the initial investment for linux based server solutions is much lower ($ thousands for multi server solutions)---Also, I have no idea what sysadmins get paid, but I would be surprised if ux guys get even 50% more than MCS?s with comparable skills. eric