Linux is a fabulous alternative to Microsoft Windows.

There are dozens of pages on the internet comparing the two; here are our opinions.

We stress that these are our opinions, not 'hard facts', and encourage the reader to read other reviews of Linux vs Microsoft. We accept that other people will have other opinions, which we welcome, and we will link to their opinions as we find them.

Linux is "Unix". Now, Unix you may have heard of. It was created on January 1st 1970. (Well before Microsoft Windows was around).
It is used in business, because ... well, read the "good points" below to understand Why. ( In Summary : Because It's Better ! ).

Unix originally did not have a Graphical User Interface; there was no concept of a GUI in those days and a mouse was unheard of.
Unix was (and is) marketed (ie. sold) by big companies like IBM, SUN, Hewlett Packard.

Then, recently, Linux was created: It was (and is) free to download and install and use, it included a windows front end system (ie 'pretty pictures' that you click with your mouse to make things happen), and it will soon overtake Microsoft Windows as the operating system of choice. One of our company's mission statements is to assist this takeover.

Most professional users use Linux _instead_ of Microsoft Windows.
Users getting to know Linux use Linux _as well as _ Microsoft Windows.
We personally use Linux 95% of the time, and Windows the remainder.

Link to The Linux Site

Bill Gates is the boss of Microsoft. Well, he used to be - he announced plans to step down last year. Mr Gates will continue to develop his charitable foundation, for which we have the utmost respect for him personally. Thank you, sir.
Link to Microsoft Press Announcement

The future of Microsoft is unpredictable to us, but ( a ) they must be worried about their own product, and ( b ) they must be worried about the rising popularity of their main competitor, Linux.
Since they have plenty of money, we guess they have already tried (and failed) to buy Linux and now must be rethinking their strategy.

We predict that Microsoft will look at Linux, work out why it is so much better, and after Vista they will reproduce a Linux clone probably called Minux. Oh, and they'll charge for it.

Link to Microsoft's opinion

You have to reboot MS Windows frequently because it crashes.
Most software is chargeable.
The more you install into it, the slower it becomes to boot and use.
It has no scripting language.
We know that Linux is a better system. Personal experience of both gives us this knowledge.
We're aware of MS's non-competitive marketing tactics. No one likes a bully.
It's about time that the monopoly of MS Windows comes to an end.
It's not a true multi-user system. It was designed as a single user system, then when multi-user became required they bolted on some code to create users, but because of the registry they made a complete hash of it. You actually have to log out of the current user to become a different user !
Windows uses a REGISTRY. This contains a complete set of environment variables, for every program, and is unfriendly to use for everyone. Frankly, the person at MS who came up with this idea should be fired. It is the single biggest fault in MS Windows.
The last time we checked our Windows Registry, it had 110,000 entries.
The last time we checked our Linux environment, it had 21 environment variables.
The last time we changed one of the Registry entries, lots of things stopped working.
We often and quickly and easily change any Linux environment variables.
Any computer has to store files in a filesystem. Windows uses FAT, FAT32 and now NTFS. All of these filesystems are dreadful. Switch your machine off without shutting down (eg a power cut), and and you are likely to lose files. Pieces of each file are scattered over a disk, and get more and more scattered as time goes by. Why ? Heaven knows. It's daft. Linux uses a journalled file system. Have a power cut and it will recover. Files are never scattered and "disk fragmentation" is unheard of.
Windows release bug-fixes and patches regularly, to fix their existing problems, and then needs to be rebooted. Linux releases the next version of single libraries that are optional improvements, not essential security fixes.
Windows catches viruses, trojans, malware and has poor internet security. Linux does not catch a virus. It can't.
Windows started it's proper life as version 3.1. It was not multi-tasking, it was not multi-user, and security was not a consideration. Since then, they have improved _all of it_ by bolting on new code or modifying old code, written by a variety of programmers over many years with varying levels of individual talent. This has led to what we, in the IT industry, call "One Heck Of A Mess".
Linux, on the other hand, _Has Not Changed_ Since 1970. It doesn't need to. Sure, new bits have been added, but they have not affected the original Linux Kernel. Linux was originally designed as a professional multi-user multi-tasking secure operating system and it has remained so. It was only the lack of a windows-based-plus-mouse GUI that was lacking, plus available software for the home user. This software has now been added, for free download, written by serious professional programmers from around the world.

Linux is free; Microsoft Windows you have to buy.
Linux is more powerful than Microsoft Windows. (because you can do more with it)
Linux is faster than Microsoft Windows. (because it handles memory, files, and processes better)
Linux is more reliable than Microsoft Windows. (because it handles memory better so doesn't crash)
Linux stays just as fast, whatever software you load into it. (because ... oh, just because. Goodness knows why Windows gets slower.)
Linux (unix) has stayed the same since 1970. Sure, there are a few new commands that deal with modern hardware. This is nothing difficult or surprising. But just try Linux, will you ? Once you are familiar with Linux you will come to the understanding of all Linux users. "Windows users are living in a cave !"

Everybody is used to Microsoft Windows, good points and bad points, and toppling the de facto standard is difficult. Linux is something that you have to install yourself (we will do it for you, or guide you through it)

Support means being able to phone someone when your system does not work.
How often have you phoned Microsoft Support ? Never ? Neither have we.
However, we do know that you have to pay for support and the Microsoft Support Centre is not world famous for it's level of customer satisfaction. It's too big. For a business, of course, Support is essential and any manager of an IT department would be foolish to recommend in his budget that support is not required. It is, for business.
You can purchase Red Hat Linux for business. This comes with support.
Other versions of Linux are supported by the World Community. There is no problem that you cannot search for on the internet, find someone who has fixed the same problem as you, and read how to fix it.