This is just a rant (hopefully it will be regarded as pertinent and non-'laming') on why Windows users try Linux and return frustrated to Windows after several hours or days. I won't praise Linux and the way it works, I won't even compare and say 'here Linux is easier because ...', instead I have a few questions for all of you who blame Linux for not being and behaving like Windows.

The KDE Project has announced the availability of packages for Microsoft Windows, bringing the KDE 4.4 applications to Windows. New in this release, the packages have been broken out from the main KDE modules so it should be easier for users to simply install a single package if they choose.

Virtualisation software such as Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion let Mac users run the Windows operating system and Windows-only programs on a Mac, but the install process is complex and time-consuming, and the programs can slow down even a speedy Mac.

What is it with Open Source, more commonly Linux advocates, and windows? There seems to be an underlying theme amongst this crowd that they hate windows. They say that windows 5ux0r35 or mention it as windaze, windoze, winblows and many other derogatory terms and spelling plays.

Windows 7 is all set to release on October 22nd 2009. This latest installation in the Windows series from the Redmond giant is touted as their best so far.

And I don't just mean for geeks. I mean a real, viable alternative to Windows for many users despite the apparent quality of both Windows 7 and Server 2008.

VirtualBox may be free, but you still have to own a copy of Windows. If you’re not willing to shell out a few hundred dollars to Microsoft but still want to run Windows on your Intel-based Mac, there is one more alternative: CrossOver from CodeWeavers costs $40 and runs Windows applications on Mac OS X — without Windows.

Though most people think of KDE as a desktop environment for Linux, the KDE applications are actually also available on Windows, thanks to the KDE On Windows project. In addition to giving Windows users a bunch of useful applications, this would be an ideal intermediate step for large Windows to Linux migrations.

The idea of an open-source operating system that is designed to be 100% compatible with Windows XP and Windows 2000 is something new and has the potential to straddle the divide between consumer friendly and open-source. And that’s what ReactOS is aiming to do.