Re: abstractions, I think what seperates Window/MacOS abstractions from Linux/UNIX abstractions is obfuscation. The aggressively closed-source nature means that

Re: abstractions, I think what seperates Window/MacOS abstractions from Linux/UNIX abstractions is obfuscation. The aggressively closed-source nature means that *nix abstractions, to a reasonable degree, anyway, reflect the underlying structure in a way that closed source abstractions can't. Of course the file abstraction is an abstraction is an abstraction, but it's also implemented transparently as a concept in the kernel --- Whereas Windows manipulates their interface so that the interface _is_ the implementation, as far as the user can see and as far the user should care. At least, this is my experience, and it fits well with what I'd expect from the operating systems' respective development models.