The Doctors At Capital Cardiology Associates, with seven offices in New York and Massachusetts, pride themselves on latching on to the latest medical gizmos. But now they're pioneering in a different tech realm: computers. Employees at the 160-person company have traded in PCs running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows for machines using the up-and-coming Linux operating system. It spent more than $400,000 on a complete tech upgrade, hut its president, Dr. Augustin DeLago, believes the investment will pay off handsomely over time in better security for patients' records and easier management of technology. "We're a small company, but I think we're out ahead on something," says Dr. DeLago. Indeed, this could be the start or something big. After a long gestation period― and against all odds―Linux is finally gaining a toehold in Microsoft's backyard, office desktop computing. Market researcher IDC expects to announce within weeks that Linux' PC market share in 2003 hit 3.2%, overtaking Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh software. And the researcher expects Linux to capture 6% of this market by 2007 That's still tiny compared with Microsoft's 94% share. But it's clear now that Linux is becoming a viable alternative to Windows on desktop and laptop PCs for companies willing to put up with the trouble of switching.
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