In the early days of the personal computer, Microsoft's DOS operating system was just one solution among many and, in many people's opinion, not necessarily the best. However, a combination of circumstances, including highly effective marketing, made Microsoft the leading name in software for decades to come. The ground is now shifting under Microsoft's foundations, and it appears to be a distinctly uncomfortable sensation. Today, Linux has captured only a small percentage of the operating system market, but it is growing much faster. In a truly noteworthy development, however, Microsoft itself is 'opening' some of its software, by making source code for the latest version of its Compact Edition (CE) operating system available to developers.

Technological planning