Bill Gates will not like this — it's the "other" version of Windows — and it's free.

Kurt the Cyberguy shows us how people are avoiding Windows Vista with an easy-to-operate, consumer-friendly alternative, called Linux.

An unexpected cat fight is about to happen in the tech world. You've got this huge guy — Bill Gates — who for years has dominated the face of computers with his Windows operating system.

From his creation, Microsoft, Gates has earned billions, and the one guy shaking up his world — aside from Steve Jobs from Apple, who rattles "the Billster" — is Mark Shuttleworth, the space-flying billionaire who is going up against Gates in a software showdown.

"Which is: Install the very best of free software, make it available for the industry free of charge," Shuttleworth said.

Yes, Shuttleworth has made a free alternative to Windows. The "Ubuntu" software is based on something geeks know well, and now everyday people will know better.

Kurt put this free version to the test on a desktop and laptop — and he said it works well.

With the ginormous size of Windows Vista, installations have been plagued with questions.

"They are more confused and bewildered at it," one Geek Squad spokesman commented. "I think they've never been asked so many questions in their life."

Mention a simple and free alternative to the not-free-at-all Microsoft Windows, and Shuttleworth might be on to something.

"If you call your second cousin, who you know is a bit of a computer guy, will he know about Linux?" Shuttleworth asked.

"Word's creeping out about Linux," the Geek Squad spokesman said. "Don't put it away, because it's going to be there for a long time, and it will eventually become mainstream enough that you will see it in mainstream markets."

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