SEATTLE -- The launch of the Windows 7 computer operating system on Thursday should help Microsoft tighten its grip as the dominant supplier of desktops and laptops to the business world.

But that hasn't stopped backers of Linux -- the upstart operating system created by a global community of programmers -- from plotting a coup.

No one expects Linux to replace Windows at big organizations. Linux failed to make big inroads when the vast majority of businesses skipped upgrading to Windows Vista after it came out in 2007. But some tech analysts say circumstances now bode well for accelerated use of Linux by businesses with 10 to 500 employees.

IBM, whose Lotus Symphony programs work well on Linux, for years has pushed to get companies to dump Windows for Linux. More recently, Google has promoted Google Docs, a Microsoft Office-like suite of programs delivered over the Web. And Google's Android smartphone uses Linux technology.

Meanwhile, most U.S. businesses skipped upgrading to Windows Vista after it was introduced in 2007, and stuck with Windows XP. To use Windows 7, most will need to buy new computers. IBM this week launched a marketing blitz touting big savings to be had by switching to Linux.

"Organizations are facing change either way they go," says Sheri McLeish, business software analyst at Forrester Research. "Linux and Symphony are more mature technologies today and can be a viable alternative."

Another Linux-friendly trend: Powerful PCs are becoming less vital to smaller businesses as Web-based programs such as Google Docs become popular.

Still, of the 655 information technology buyers recently surveyed by Forrester, 66% said they expect to move to Windows 7 computers. "Users have historically voted for Windows above Linux," says Charles Smulders, tech industry analyst at Gartner.

In building Windows 7, Microsoft went to great lengths to elicit feedback from small and midsize firms in particular, says Rich Reynolds, a Windows general manager. "We designed an operating system that saves them time and money."

But Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, counters that Linux is a better fit for cash-strapped businesses. "Linux is younger and cheaper than Windows, and we are very patient."

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