Microsoft's domination of the desktop may not last much longer, according to Terry Keene, founder and president of the Enabling Technologies Group, an IBM reseller and system integrator in the United States.
Mr Keene was invited to visit Asia as a special guest of IBM to talk about future strategies for the world's largest technology company.
'On the first of August, you will have to pay a ransom to Bill Gates if you want to use Microsoft software,' he said, referring to the new licensing plan Microsoft implements on Thursday.
Analysts, including the Gartner Group, said that many customers were unhappy with the situation and have not signed on.
According to a study by Australian technology services company Cybersource, if a mid-sized firm has Intel-based hardware for 50 users, the difference in cost for running the business on Linux as opposed to Microsoft is in the order of tens of thousands of dollars.
'If you have 50 users and want most of the common services such as mail, a file and print server, a Web server, a firewall, some developers and artists etc, you will pay US$69,987 for a system based on Microsoft's technology and US$80 for a system based on Linux and open systems,' Mr Keene said.