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> Google and Microsoft are the last two companies with the talent to build a future OS and enough resources and clout to push it enough to get traction. I thin

> Google and Microsoft are the last two companies with the talent to build a future OS and enough resources and clout to push it enough to get traction. I think that is a stretch. Apple has significant investment in Darwin and are a huge contributor to LLVM. Also, don't count out Amazon ... they have their fingers in so many pies these days ...

spdionis 10y ago
Amazon is way too business and money oriented to make such a long term and risky investment.
- aanm1988 10y ago
  That's a pretty ridiculous statement. Amazon won't dump money into BS just because, but they are absolutely willing to take big risks if the payoff is there.
  - spdionis 10y ago
    Both big risk and long term? I don't think so. They're not a company with much philosophical vision. They provide good, useful, services to make money. That's not enough to start a successful operating system. I don't mean to bash Amazon. They do well what they do, at the scale they have. I only think the project would not fit the company as it is now.
    - aanm1988 10y ago
      I'm saying you fundamentally misunderstand Amazon. The entire thing is based on long term thinking. It's why they spent decades building out a massive logistics infrastructure instead of turning a profit. It's why they spend tons on robotics, drones, and grocery stores that can eb run without people. They have been manufacturing tablets for years. They built kindle. They built a (disaster of a) phone. Amazon doesn't waste money just because. But if they saw the potential return in developing an OS (say they decide that having a custom OS as their base for AWS) they are absolutely the type of company that would pursue it.
      - spdionis 10y ago
        Maybe you're right and I'm mistaken. That said, I'd like to note that a custom OS for AWS (servers), and a user OS (desktop or mobile) are extremely different things.
dragonwriter 10y ago
> Apple has significant investment in Darwin and are a huge contributor to LLVM. Apple could make the next OS for Apple (presuming they were willing to take the leap to do something other than incremental improvements to their existing stable of OSes), but they aren't likely to make OSes for anyone else, so they aren't really relevant to the discussion. > Also, don't count out Amazon ... they have their fingers in so many pies these days ... Amazon seems to be pretty consistently plucking the low-hanging fruit from their current position. They might have the right talent to build a future OS, butz for a slightly different reason than Apple, it doesn't seem to be consistent with their orientation.

spdionis 10y ago

Amazon is way too business and money oriented to make such a long term and risky investment.

aanm1988 10y ago
That's a pretty ridiculous statement. Amazon won't dump money into BS just because, but they are absolutely willing to take big risks if the payoff is there.
- spdionis 10y ago
  Both big risk and long term? I don't think so. They're not a company with much philosophical vision. They provide good, useful, services to make money. That's not enough to start a successful operating system. I don't mean to bash Amazon. They do well what they do, at the scale they have. I only think the project would not fit the company as it is now.
  - aanm1988 10y ago
    I'm saying you fundamentally misunderstand Amazon. The entire thing is based on long term thinking. It's why they spent decades building out a massive logistics infrastructure instead of turning a profit. It's why they spend tons on robotics, drones, and grocery stores that can eb run without people. They have been manufacturing tablets for years. They built kindle. They built a (disaster of a) phone. Amazon doesn't waste money just because. But if they saw the potential return in developing an OS (say they decide that having a custom OS as their base for AWS) they are absolutely the type of company that would pursue it.
    - spdionis 10y ago
      Maybe you're right and I'm mistaken. That said, I'd like to note that a custom OS for AWS (servers), and a user OS (desktop or mobile) are extremely different things.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> Apple has significant investment in Darwin and are a huge contributor to LLVM. Apple could make the next OS for Apple (presuming they were willing to take the leap to do something other than incremental improvements to their existing stable of OSes), but they aren't likely to make OSes for anyone else, so they aren't really relevant to the discussion. > Also, don't count out Amazon ... they have their fingers in so many pies these days ... Amazon seems to be pretty consistently plucking the low-hanging fruit from their current position. They might have the right talent to build a future OS, butz for a slightly different reason than Apple, it doesn't seem to be consistent with their orientation.