Linux has been somewhat suspect in performance compared to NT 4.0, and if Windows 2000 raises the bar, it raises the bar above where Linux is competing. On the other hand, there's no stopping Linux being the key alternative to Windows 2000 for as far as we can see.
Interestingly, it sort of raises some of the issues about Microsoft bundling features into the operating system, which of course has been core to the whole antitrust issue.