4 ms·
> Free fully supported Linux distro with Windows support will only reduce the sales of Windows itself. I didn't say free, though that is one option. I'm think
by TimTheTinker 6y ago
> Free fully supported Linux distro with Windows support will only reduce the sales of Windows itself.
I didn't say free, though that is one option.
I'm thinking if they could build a DisplayPS compositing window manager on top of, say, an MS-supported Ubuntu derivative, make the window manager awesome, market and sell it as Windows NC for Next Century, build in hardware support for everything -- basically go all-in.
Keep the next-gen window manager, core apps, and the Win32/DirectX compatibility layers proprietary, the rest open-source, and license the whole thing. Charge $200 per license or something.
If they did all that, they'd make a killing.
The fact that it's a Linux distro at its core would be a relatively small detail (and a killer feature for developers at the same time). Darwin is also open-source, but MacOS on top is highly proprietary and profit-producing.
- shawnz 6y agoWhat's the advantage? If anything, this plan only kills what is arguably the best part of Windows, which is the kernel, and leaves all the worst parts (e.g. legacy Win32 APIs) I don't think the intersection of people who want a Linux kernel but a Microsoft-managed OS is very large, especially if it were the same cost as Windows. Just use Windows, and if you need to run Linux userspace apps then use WSL. Doesn't that already solve the use case you are describing?
- TimTheTinker 6y agoI like WSL itself and would use it... except for the fact that I hate Windows and actively avoid using it. I'd rather run a Linux VM in Parallels on macOS than use Windows+WSL. I agree the NT kernel is nice in theory, and NTFS and .NET aren't bad either. But GDI, Win32/COM, the registry, Device Manager, the cmd.exe interpreter, backslash as path separator, drive letters, and so many other details are relics of a bygone and very misguided era from which they have yet to make a clean break. Stick all of that in a compatibility layer I can opt out of, and I'll be happy :) Try resizing your browser window from the left edge -- watch the ugly, flickering repaints on the right side of the window. Yes, I know Linux does that too, but macOS doesn't. And someone besides Apple needs to build a DisplayPS-based, double-buffered compositing window manager on top of a clean, OSS platform. I'd personally rather it be Microsoft than any other of the big 5. And if it were Linux-based, I wouldn't have to run a Linux VM on macOS anymore for my dev work :)
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- john_moscow 6y agoOut of curiosity, how much money have you spent in the last 5 years on paid software?
- TimTheTinker 6y agoI'd say roughly $800 - includes a Windows license, MS Office HUP, apps & games, and SaaS subscriptions (1Password, ProtonMail, etc.) My daily driver is a Mac, and I'm planning to buy an M1x MBP when it comes out (which I'm hoping to dual-boot to Linux pending porting progress.)
- atat7024 6y agoKeeping MacOS as your top level OS probably best for your security.
- TimTheTinker 6y agoWindows and Linux security is great too. I think the choice between iOS and Android has a lot more implications for security and privacy than the choice between modern desktop OSes.
- atat7024 6y agoLinux security is (unfortunately, long time and current user!) not great. The list of open security issues in the kernel is jaw-dropping.
- robclouth 6y agoI'm a huge macos fan for just plain ease of use. But for machine learning stuff mac is not really an option right now, what with newer Nvidia cards not being compatible and the monopoly of CUDA. I've made the switch with the new comp. Windows with WSL is pretty much the same for dev now. And I've got games, music production and ML capabilities all in the same OS. Keeping MacOS in a VM though for iOS testing. A bit slow graphically but just about acceptable.