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Windows NT (the core OS) suffers none of those problems. The Windows (Win32) environment suffers those limitations. It also suffers 20+ years of strong binary
by nxc18 10y ago
Windows NT (the core OS) suffers none of those problems.
The Windows (Win32) environment suffers those limitations. It also suffers 20+ years of strong binary compatibility, broad hardware support, and consistent reliability that systems of similar class (e.g. Linux desktops) can't match.
If it makes you feel any better, drive letters are a convenient illusion made possible by the Win32 subsystem; NT has no such concept and mounts file systems into the object hierarchy (NT is fundamentally object oriented - a more modern and flexible design than is provided by UNIX).
The fundamental architecture of Windows, the kernel, hasn't changed in ages because it doesn't need to; it is far more sophisticated than UNIX will ever be and far more sophisticated than you will ever need. The fundamental architecture of Win32 hasn't changed since 32-bits was an exciting concept and it won't change because the market has said loud and clear that they want Windows-level compatibility. See Windows RT and The Year of the Linux Desktop for evidence that users aren't clamoring to ditch Win32 in favor of something more pure.
- zvrba 10y ago> The fundamental architecture of Windows, the kernel, hasn't changed in ages because it doesn't need to; it is far more sophisticated than UNIX will ever be and far more sophisticated than you will ever need. Another case in point: it allowed MS to write a layer on top of the NT kernel to run unmodified Linux binaries. (Windows subsystem for Linux).
- Arizhel 10y agoLinux has the same thing, called WINE. It already works quite well, and if they had access to the Windows and Win32 source code and a staff of full-time developers, it'd work flawlessly. An API translation layer doesn't prove that a kernel is "more sophisticated" than another; that's just fanboyism.
- gkya 10y agoIs there a possibility to use the NT system without the flaws (?) of Win32? I hardly know anything about Windows programming, and I'm a bit curious now, having read your comment.
- pjmlp 10y agoWindows exposes personalities above the kernel, in the NT days that meant OS/2 1.x, POSIX and Win32. Nowadays on Windows 10 it means UWP, Win32 and Linux syscalls. In theory someone could call the ntdll.dll and create a new personality but those APIs are undocumented and only possibly made available to Microsoft partners.
- webmaven 10y ago> consistent reliability Is that a claim you can substantiate? I admit I stopped paying attention around the time that scale-up of expensive servers with high minimum specs + expensive software licenses was overtaken by scale-out approaches + open source, but NT never struck me as being particularly stable in the face of badly written software and drivers. Has it improved a lot in this dimension over the past 15 years?