I've now had the discussion a few times over the last few months - will MS as the computing standard be toppled any time soon - and so I figure it's worth talking about here.

The answer is - it is the standard and will continue to be so for at least the next 10-15 years. The reason being that there is a whole generation of IT folks who have been raised on MS software. They know it, they can hire for it and their corporate users are comfortable with it. Is it perfect? Nope but it works and to paraphrase Ross Perot - no one will get fired supporting MS software. Sorry Linux and Apple fans - MS has one. Sorry Google fans - there's no support infrastructure for Google. Now a generation from now things can change but that's a lot of lifetimes in terms of how technology works.

Now the home front is an entirely different battle - as computing morphs into the CE realm the OS fades into the background. Seriously who cares or knows what OS is running their home stereo? Or their TV? With the launch of Apple TV and XBOX 360 computing is evolving more and more into devices where functionality - ie. what can i do with this device - drives the usage decision not the OS. And on the home front no one knows who's going to win. But don't count MS out with the success of XBOX 360 - and it has won the gen 3 advanced console game don't let PS3 fans tell you otherwise - MS has an interesting hedge on the next generation of computing.