Comments on: The Inevitability of Open Source Windows

By: TexMoon

TexMoon — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:56:57 +0000

Open Source Windows? Try this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReactOS

http://www.reactos.org/en/index.html

By: A Scott

A Scott — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:56:31 +0000

This is a real bind for Microsoft. In the server/database/software development tools market Microsoft never stood a chance with their domination strategy (i.e. Windows Server 2003 has to be set up as a domain controller to be a database server) based on sub-standard, proprietry products. Marketing was heavily targeted at corporate mentalilty rather than the freedom, quality and productivity that Open Source offers.

In emerging markets Microsoft cannot compete with Open Source and it is chasing it’s own tail by inflicting Vista on it’s traditional home/small business markets.

Microsoft’s only hope is to open up and integrate with Open Source. As a professional software developer I will not consider Microsoft development tools until it becomes an honest player and stops spending millions trying to sell sub-standard products. Will this happen ? Not while Steve Ballmer is around .

By: Alwitt Qin

Alwitt Qin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:33:44 +0000

Veru useful post here…

By: TechGeek

TechGeek — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:42:02 +0000

First, Windows is doomed by its sheer size. 10-15 Gigs for a plain install and 2 gigs of ram to run it well is just ridiculous. We see that the trend right now is small appliances that do limited things. People dont need quad core pcs to check their email, watch video, surf the web and type messages. Win XP is getting older and not getting new features unlike Linux.

Second, the PC as we know it is going away. People who are in IT will still use full PC’s but mom and dad will start using appliances. If you talk to anyone who does tech support for a living, most people dont know how to use their computer. As a result, they end up getting viruses and spyware. Appliances have the chance of changing this.

By: TripleII

TripleII — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:31:19 +0000

theyoungmessiah, have you used Mandriva One, OpenSuse, Ubuntu? If you think it is harder than windows (especially Vista), you need to come forward from 2004. Not a slam, but, but Linux (no CLI needed, for my over 40+ newbie friends and family) base was completed (essentially) in 2004-2005. Most have focused only on usability/ease of use since. It is truly amazing (and a world away from when I started in 1998 with Linux).

I have to agree with HAhah, Windows itself won’t be open source, ever. Nobody would want it, not when Linux base is obviously so much better. MS may open source projects that leverage it’s monopoly (i.e. try to pull back folks already using LAMP, etc, where it is in second place), but let’s face it, Windows open sourced, Linux would have seamless app compatibility for EVERY app, better than Windows, in 8 weeks, tops. It would be the death of Windows.

TripleII

By: Bob Robertson

Bob Robertson — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:27:44 +0000

I agree with Hahaha, Microsoft will never “open source” Windows.

First, they would have to admit they were wrong. Can you imagine any of the egotists in charge of Microsoft ever admitting they were wrong?

Second, it’s crap code. They know it, but up comes point one again. To release their code would be to let everyone see just how awful it is.

Their development model is insane, with horrid levels of integration and dependency between projects, yet no communication. “My manager has to speak with his manager, who then speaks with their manager…”

Were Windows code ever to be freed, the only beneficiary would be WINE. Every other project would look at the code and say something like, “We tried that way years ago, and now do something else.”

By: Dani

Dani — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:23:54 +0000

Don't confuse making Windows open source with making open source run on windows, More than half of the downloads from our BitNami project are for Windows, for example.

By: HAhah

HAhah — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:59:57 +0000

even if they opened up windows, no one is going to touch it. the code sucks like [blip] linux is built for the internet. microsoft windows code is in a total mess. they cant fix it and they know it very well. windows is eol.

they need to dump windows. its beyond any hope. but they wont…it hard to forget the billions they made. its all down in drain.

they are going to keep fighting linux, but in the end they will loose a lot.

i predict that microsoft will die a slow and painfull death fight foss, which companies like google. apple, redhat ..run over them with a rollercoster.

they need to fire the nightmare called ballmer.

By: Roger Henderson

Roger Henderson — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:10:54 +0000

I think you are correct, and I’m sure Ballmer has considered this is where MS might end up.
Software in general is becoming Operating System agnostic – mainly due to the web and SOA. As this occurs, more and more people can move to other OS’s – it doesn’t matter if it is Mac, Linux, BSD to Microsoft.

As this happens MS will start seeing income from the twin towers of Windows and Office eroding as the lock-in is diluted and then dissolved.

Eventually, to ensure they retain market share and therefore leverage, they will be forced to give Windows away for free, and then open source it.

@Robert Pogson: Are you aware that MS has already given up the ’secret’ file formats for a large chunk of its software?

By: Busterdog

Busterdog — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:57 +0000

What MS needs to do is pull an OSX. Grab BSD, make it the base, or even Linux. Create a Windows window manager to replace X and sell apps that only work in their WM. If Apple can do it, so can MS. Why not?