a href=" br Two bitter enemies, caught in the same desperate situation. Years of hostility end in a handshake.br [Apr 2 2004]: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer & Sun CEO Scott McNealy announce broad cooperation agreement.br Microsoft pays Sun $1.95 billion. Why?br The customer took charge.br Every revolution was first a thought in one man's mind...br and when the same thought occurs in another man, it is the key to that era Ralph Waldo Emerson.br [Aug 25 1991]: Linus Benedict Torvalds releases Linux.br [Oct 31 1994]: Halloween Release of Red Hat Linux.br [Jul 30 1998]: Oracle announces its first Linux port.br [Feb 3 1998]: Term "open source" is coined.br [Nov 19 1998]: Microsoft refutes monopoly charges by holding up a box of Red Hat Linux.br [Feb 17 1999]: Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, IBM, announce Linux-based systems.br [Apr 6 1999]: Dell is first to factory-install Red Hat Linux.br [Dev 12 2000]: IBM announces plans to spend nearly $1 billion on Linux in the next year.br [Jan 8 2001]: Ballmer calls Linux the biggest threat to Microsoft.br [May 3 2001]: Microsoft announces "shared source" initiative.br [Jan 23 2002]: IDC reports a 45-80 lower total cost of ownership for Linux over Unix.br [Mar 26 2002]: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Launched.br [Nov 4 2003]: Novell Acquires Suse for $210 million.br [Apr 2 2004]: Microsoft pays Sun $1.95 billion.br br There is no good in arguing with the inevitable. The only argument available with an east wind is to put on your overcoat. James Russell Lowellbr br Red Hat Linux from IBM.