The founder of a Manx software company says he’s looking forward to taking on Microsoft later this year.

Mark Shuttleworth says Windows 7 will be released at the same time as Canonical Software unveils its latest version of Linux.

Canonical is based in Circular Road in Douglas, and will release its Ubuntu 9.04, codenamed Jaunty Jackalope, in May.

The operating system for PCs will compete directly with the Microsoft’s package, and Mr Shuttleworth says a good version of Windows will reignite the fight on features and capabilities.

Canonical's Ubuntu is one of the most widely-used versions of Linux, with millions of users worldwide.