Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin has claimed he doesn’t care about Microsoft anymore.

Admitting defeat in the desktop space, Zemlin claims that Linux has outpaced Microsoft throughout the server and mobile markets. “I think we just don’t care that much [about Microsoft] anymore,” Zemlin said to Network World. “They used to be our big rival, but now it’s kind of like kicking a puppy.”

Zemlin believes that Linux has come to dominate in almost every category of computing, with the exception being the desktop. “I think that on the 20th anniversary, it’s worth reflecting back on where we came from,” Zemlin said in an interview with Network World. Linux had a “humble start as a project for a college student in Helsinki, to something today that runs 70% of global equity trading, something that powers, really, the majority of Internet traffic, whether it’s Facebook, Google or Amazon.”

Zemlin points to the success of Android, which uses a Kernel based on Linux. Zemlin believes that the traditional PC is a thing of the past. “The good news is the traditional PC desktop is becoming less important, and areas where Linux is very strong in terms of client computing are becoming more important.”

Microsoft is attempting to claw back its losses on the mobile market. The software giant launched its Windows Phone 7 operating system late last year. The company is pinning its hopes on a recent partnership with Nokia to rejuvenate its smartphone market share. Microsoft has yet to convincingly enter the Slate market. The company originally introduced Tablet based computing with Windows XP Tablet Edition in November, 2002. Nearly 10 years have passed and Apple has successfully marketed and sold millions of iPad devices in the past year based on Microsoft’s own Tablet computing concepts.

Despite the shift to mobile computing, Zemlin argues that people aren’t giving up on the desktop fully just yet. “The reality is that the fat lady hasn’t sung yet,” Zemlin said. “Operating systems in general are like huge tides that ebb and flow very slowly over time, it’s almost glacial. It takes time for people to realize that they may not need that set of computing requirements for the desktop anymore, and get used to different ways of using a computer.”