GearBits

Smackdown: Wal-Mart vs. Microsoft

Dan Gillmor, long time journalist and Linux doubter, feels that Linux may have a shot at being significant on the desktop. Why? One major plus is the fact that Wal-Mart is starting to sell Linux-powered PCs in its stores.

Will Microsoft react the same way that every other consumer good producer has in the face of Wal-Mart's massive pressure, by buckling under and dramatically cutting its price? Or, will Microsoft try to ignore this new development, insisting that Wal-Mart just won't have a significant impact on the situation? Or, will something happen to provoke a feud between the two monolithic corporations?

This is a fight I'm waiting to see materialize, for it has the makings of a very interesting situation. Much like Rodan vs. Mothra or Dracula vs. The Mummy, we don't really have an obvious "good guy" to root for. In one corner, you have a company that enjoys a near monopoly in its industry and which has abused that power through various actions which have drawn many, repeated lawsuits. In the other corner, you have...well...exactly the same. Should be interesting...