Microsoft admits the Windows operating system is "large" and concedes that it may even be described as "bloated", but Redmond is keen to prove that the Windows kernel is "pretty streamlined".
Future versions of Linux will contain broader support for virtualisation after vendors Xen and lguest merged its technologies into the latest version of the Linux kernel.
Linux vendor Red Hat has bought its way further into the virtualisation market, to compete against VMware, Citrix and Microsoft, with a US$107 million purchase of Qumranet.
XenSource and VMware, two major figures in virtualisation security have warned of challenges facing IT managers in implementing secure virtual environments.
Microsoft's Windows juggernaut is collapsing under its own weight, as it tries to support 20 years of applications and becomes more complicated by the minute, according to analyst firm Gartner.
Linux programmers are moving toward a change that would put virtualisation software from VMware on a more even footing with open-source rival Xen.
Novell has released the first service pack (SP1) for its Suse Linux Enterprise 10 server software, which promises better virtualisation and high performance support along with improved security.
A push is under way to endow Linux with a virtual partitioning technology used by rival operating systems to make servers more efficient.
Red Hat released its Fedora Core 5 version of Linux on Monday, giving enthusiasts new graphics and virtualisation abilities, as well as some desktop utilities based on a software framework from Microsoft.
Red Hat plans to ship the next version of its premium Linux product on February 28, debuting major virtualisation technology but missing an earlier deadline by about two months.
Novell shone the spotlight on its new version flagship Linux product this week, touting a significant new feature to let a server run multiple operating systems simultaneously and thereby be used more efficiently.
Red Hat announced several moves on Tuesday to bring virtualisation technology to the mainstream Linux market by the end of the year, a move that the company promises will dramatically increase server efficiency.
With its next version of the Solaris operating system, Sun Microsystems plans to take a new direction with its technology to divide a server into a large number of independent partitions.
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