Linux instead of Windows? Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. Linux is what is called an open source operating system for computers... that is basically free. A variety of companies add their own features or look to and sell it, but typically for a lot less money than Microsoft charges for Windows. And while more and more servers and corporate systems have been turning to Linux, it has been a mystery to most consumers. Xandros is a year and a half old company working to change that. Co-chairman Rick Berenstein...

"The marketplace, especially the global marketplace for Linux on the desktop is enormous. Microsoft, by walking away from supporting older computers has basically left about 80 percent of the users of computers in the world with computers that are too old and these people want modern computing, they want modern applications and they're going to have to go to a different desktop... and that desktop is Linux."

What Xandros has developed is a version of Linux that looks like Windows... .and will run some Windows applications...

"For the vast majority of people for whom the most important things are being able to run Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Power Point and Outlook and Internet Explorer, all of those applications will run seamlessly on the Xandros desktop."

The package uses technology called CrossOver to enable a variety of Windows applications under Linux. But not all software and hardware will work under the system... so Microsoft isn't likely to lose much consumer business to Linux any time soon. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.