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San Diego Union-Tribune  Microsoft faces no shortage of well-
financed challengers   January 3, 2006  Windows is still the
brains of nearly every PC, and Microsoft remains one of the most
profitable, powerful and storied companies ever created. But its
financial growth is slowing as a handful of Internet companies
such as Yahoo, eBay and most particularly Google have matured
into well-financed rivals challenging Microsoft in several
areas.  Web-Based Software and Services  Companies such as, and
others are offering Internet-based programs to rival Microsoft
software programs that are resident on the personal computer.
Web-based software and services often are supported through
advertising revenue, rather than by charging for the software,
the model that made Microsoft a colossus.  Open-source Software
The Internet lets developers share code and collaborate on
building software at low