The Linux Uprising: How a ragtag band of software geeks is threatening Sun and Microsoft-and turning the computer world upside down

Just when it seemed the technology world had lost its fizz, a powerful movement is on the rise. A ragtag band of open-source programming volunteers scattered around the globe-and hooked up via the Internet-is revolutionizing the way software is made. At the heart of what they do is Linux, an operating system flexible enough to run everything from an IBM supercomputer to a Motorola cell phone. Because it's open source, Linux can be downloaded off the Web for free, though typically it's bought by corporations as part of a package that includes service. Practically every tech company is being forced to figure out how to take advantage of Linux or to avoid being swept aside by it. It poses the biggest threat to Microsoft's hegemony since the Netscape browser in 1995. Backed by technology titans such as Intel, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell, Linux is just now going mainstream. From DaimlerChrysler to Tommy Hilfiger-not to mention just about every major brokerage on Wall Street-Linux is gaining ground. How did Linux make the jump into the mainstream? A trio of powerful forces converged. First, credit the rotten economy. Corporations under intense pressure to reduce their computing bills began casting about for low-cost alternatives. Second, Intel Corp., the dominant maker of processors for PCs, loosened its tight links with Microsoft and started making performance-enhancing software for Linux. The third ingredient was widespread resentment of Microsoft and fear that the company was on the verge of gaining a stranglehold on corporate customers.