4 ms·

That makes sense right though. 15 years ago the number of people using OSX was a fraction of what it is today. They had to be very protective of that customer b

That makes sense right though. 15 years ago the number of people using OSX was a fraction of what it is today. They had to be very protective of that customer base. Now the install base is huge and the threats are different.

outworlder 7y ago
> Now the install base is huge and the threats are different. Counterpoint: Microsoft's install base is enormous and has been for decades. They very very rarely intentionally break backwards compatibility.
- viscanti 7y ago
  Counterpoint: Microsoft's obsession with backward compatibility is why there are so many zero day exploits for their OS. Complexity comes with a cost.
  - bshacklett 7y ago
    One doesn't even have to look that far. They haven't shipped a Windows update on time for years due to bugs pushing the dates back. I can't imagine that their backwards compatibility requirements have been part of the problem. In fact, wasn't there a specific issue that was linked back to compatibility with CP/M not that long ago? Edit: This is what I was thinking of: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/how-a-1974-bug-still-bites-win10-and-azure-users-515102 https://www.itnews.com.au/news/how-a-1974-bug-still-bites-wi...
  - jfkebwjsbx 7y ago
    That is not a counterpoint, just a downside (which can be offset taking several approaches). I would like to see a comparison between recent versions of macOS and Windows 10.
- wtallis 7y ago
  > They very very rarely intentionally break backwards compatibility. You must be thinking about regular userspace applications, when you should be thinking about drivers. Microsoft can't do two consecutive major OS versions without overhauling a driver subsystem and leaving a whole class of older devices with reduced or no functionality.
- GeekyBear 7y ago
  Microsoft moved the graphics drivers to user space way back at Windows Vista. It was a painful transition, sure. However it was worth it just for reliability reasons. Previously, poorly written graphics drivers were the leading cause of blue screens. After the change, the graphics subsystem restarted itself on error instead of taking the whole machine down or allowing the driver to corrupt system memory. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-Mode_Driver_Framework https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-Mode_Driver_Framework

outworlder 7y ago

> Now the install base is huge and the threats are different. Counterpoint: Microsoft's install base is enormous and has been for decades. They very very rarely intentionally break backwards compatibility.

viscanti 7y ago
Counterpoint: Microsoft's obsession with backward compatibility is why there are so many zero day exploits for their OS. Complexity comes with a cost.
- bshacklett 7y ago
  One doesn't even have to look that far. They haven't shipped a Windows update on time for years due to bugs pushing the dates back. I can't imagine that their backwards compatibility requirements have been part of the problem. In fact, wasn't there a specific issue that was linked back to compatibility with CP/M not that long ago? Edit: This is what I was thinking of: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/how-a-1974-bug-still-bites-win10-and-azure-users-515102 https://www.itnews.com.au/news/how-a-1974-bug-still-bites-wi...
- jfkebwjsbx 7y ago
  That is not a counterpoint, just a downside (which can be offset taking several approaches). I would like to see a comparison between recent versions of macOS and Windows 10.
wtallis 7y ago
> They very very rarely intentionally break backwards compatibility. You must be thinking about regular userspace applications, when you should be thinking about drivers. Microsoft can't do two consecutive major OS versions without overhauling a driver subsystem and leaving a whole class of older devices with reduced or no functionality.
GeekyBear 7y ago
Microsoft moved the graphics drivers to user space way back at Windows Vista. It was a painful transition, sure. However it was worth it just for reliability reasons. Previously, poorly written graphics drivers were the leading cause of blue screens. After the change, the graphics subsystem restarted itself on error instead of taking the whole machine down or allowing the driver to corrupt system memory. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-Mode_Driver_Framework https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-Mode_Driver_Framework