Coordinates: WordPerfect 8, www.corel.com; StarOffice 5.1, www.sun.com; Netscape Communicator, www.netscape.com; RealServer G2, www.realnetworks.com

10. So is Linux ready for prime-time business users?

In many respects, Linux passes the office test. After weeks of use, I managed to crash just one machine running GNOME. (Meanwhile, my Windows 98 machine continues to crash at least once a day.) And I was able to do most of my work on the Linux-equipped machines.

If you've got a dotcom business, Linux deserves a serious look. Linux is reliable and flexible -- a plus for online businesses that must make weekly software changes to keep up with the Internet economy. Begin by having your developers use a few Linux boxes. Then start introducing the systems to other employees when the interface becomes more mature later this year.

But Linux gets a thumbs-down for small companies and home-based offices. Managing the operating system still requires some expertise. And Linux lacks most of the finishing touches that make it easier for users to install new software and solve small glitches on Windows PCs and Macs. What's more, until Corel and others release their applications for Linux-based machines, you'll be stuck with a limited number of business-software packages.

That said, take a good, hard look at Linux in four months or so. The speed at which applications are being written and improved on in the Linux world is absolutely astonishing, thanks largely to the Internet.

While older software companies such as Microsoft rely on employees ensconced in corporate campuses to churn out new bells and whistles for Windows, the legions of Linux volunteers use the speed and flexibility of the Internet to fine-tune and to improve the software. The result is that free Linux software upgrades get churned out online, 24 hours a day. The information superhighway has come full circle: Linux is changing the way the software that got us there in the first place is made.

Contributing Editor John R. Quain (jquain@fastcompany.com) appears regularly on CBS and on MSNBC.

Action Item: Linux Links

Here are three of the most user-friendly sites for learning more about leveraging Linux.

Linux Online (www.linux.org) If you're looking for Linux-compatible hardware or the latest software, start here. Linux Documentation Project (www.linuxdoc.org) Chances are that whatever you're trying to do with Linux, someone else has tried it before; those solutions are posted here. Linuxberg (www.linuxberg.com) This is a neatly arranged center for locating new Linux programs, from networking fixes to newly designed themes that will add some pizzazz to your desktop.

Sidebar: GNOME Guru

From his office in Mexico City, master programmer Miguel de Icaza cajoled, pleaded, and cranked out code to get GNOME -- the free graphical front end for Linux -- up and running smoothly. Here, de Icaza gave us the goods on GNOME.

What attracted you to Linux?

"When I started programming years ago, proprietary tools were expensive, yet they were of poor quality. But the free tools were great -- anyone could access them and improve upon them. So I started to work on Linux, and I urged others to help."

What are you working on now?

"We're developing more end-user applications, such as office suites, that will also be free. We're also working on presentation programs, and I'm starting a company to write GNOME applications for Linux and other free systems."

Is Linux ready for individual computer users?

"It depends on what you want a computer to do. Linux is not quite ready for everybody's desktop, though in four to six months it might be. But even now, there's a project in Mexico that's distributing computers equipped with Linux and GNOME to 1 million students."

Coordinates: Miguel de Icaza, miguel@GNU.org; GNOME, www.gnome.org

Sidebar: Leap to Linux

Wondering whether your company can make the leap to Linux? David O'Dell, VP of engineering at Powerize.com, a Web site offering business research, has already taken some first steps. Here are five of his top-of-mind tips for converting your company to Linux.

Linux can handle customized applications. "Most custom applications can be built especially for Linux."

But consider your resources. "You need it support for Linux systems. If you don't have the technical-support people to work with it, don't even think about taking on Linux."

Check connections. "Even though the rest of my company uses Windows, our developers can still use Linux. They just use Lotus Notes to communicate and trade files with everyone else. Make sure that you can do the same before you invest in Linux."

Get it preinstalled. "Buying computers with Linux already installed will help your it department avoid many headaches."

Don't force Linux on everyone. "Our technical writers and sales staff don't use it, because the applications they're comfortable with aren't running on Linux yet."

Coordinates: David O'Dell, davido@powerize.com; Powerize.com, www.powerize.com