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Windows Code Samples

microsoft.github.io

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Re: Windows Code Samples

#11

Post by mrweasel »

20161112 wrote: post #7
kirillkh wrote: post #3

Too bad the WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is not open source. It is already an impressive piece of software, but many features are still lacking (e.g., neither Valgrind nor gperftools work right now), and it could benefit greatly from community involvement. Fittingly, issue #1 in the WSL bug tracker is requesting it to be open-sourced: https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues/1

For development, is WSL good enough to replace dual-boot?

For many people I think it's still the wrong way around. It's not the first solution to running Linux applications on Windows. The first I saw involved X-Win32 and a Linux server in the basement. It's just that most of these solutions get it wrong. It's not that people want Windows, and a little Unix. People want Unix/Linux, and a little Windows.

Re: Windows Code Samples

#12

Post by mrweasel »

ealexhudson wrote: post #5
bobsgame wrote: post #4

I really hope they open source the NT kernel, or at least part of it. This makes me really excited about the future of Windows!

In all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if that happened at this stage - I don't know that they would have much to lose, but they'd potentially have an awful lot to gain.

I suspect that large part of Windows, perhaps not the kernel, but many of the required subsystems, are written by 3rd. parties and licensing will prohibit an open source release of Windows.

Re: Windows Code Samples

#13

Post by patrickaljord »

ealexhudson wrote: post #5
bobsgame wrote: post #4

I really hope they open source the NT kernel, or at least part of it. This makes me really excited about the future of Windows!

In all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if that happened at this stage - I don't know that they would have much to lose, but they'd potentially have an awful lot to gain.

They still make money on every single pc/laptop that ships with windows which is still their biggest money maker with office. If they truely open source windows (BSD or else) it will be free to ship for OEM and Microsoft will lose one of their biggest source of income.

tl;dr: not gonna happen

Re: Windows Code Samples

#14

Post by keevie »

patrickaljord wrote: post #13
ealexhudson wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if that happened at this stage - I don't know that they would have much to lose, but they'd potentially have an awful lot to gain.

They still make money on every single pc/laptop that ships with windows which is still their biggest money maker with office. If they truely open source windows (BSD or else) it will be free to ship for OEM and Microsoft will lose one of their biggest source of income. tl;dr: not gonna happen

Open source doesn't mean free....

Re: Windows Code Samples

#15

Post by DoofusOfDeath »

ealexhudson wrote: post #5
bobsgame wrote: post #4

I really hope they open source the NT kernel, or at least part of it. This makes me really excited about the future of Windows!

In all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if that happened at this stage - I don't know that they would have much to lose, but they'd potentially have an awful lot to gain.

IANAL, but I expect it would open Microsoft up to countless patent, and perhaps copyright, lawsuits.

Re: Windows Code Samples

#16

Post by kirillkh »

20161112 wrote: post #7
kirillkh wrote: post #3

Too bad the WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is not open source. It is already an impressive piece of software, but many features are still lacking (e.g., neither Valgrind nor gperftools work right now), and it could benefit greatly from community involvement. Fittingly, issue #1 in the WSL bug tracker is requesting it to be open-sourced: https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues/1

For development, is WSL good enough to replace dual-boot?

Depends on your use case/tools/habits. WSL gives you the advantage of being able to access the same files with native Windows tools and from the GNU[1] command line. If you plan on using the X GUI tools, it will be much less useful to you.

[1] I can't bring myself to use the term 'Linux' here, because, ironically, Linux is the primary missing part in this Ubuntu distribution. It should really be called WSG or WSU.

Re: Windows Code Samples

#17

Post by kowdermeister »

keevie wrote: post #14
patrickaljord wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They still make money on every single pc/laptop that ships with windows which is still their biggest money maker with office. If they truely open source windows (BSD or else) it will be free to ship for OEM and Microsoft will lose one of their biggest source of income. tl;dr: not gonna happen

Open source doesn't mean free....

Be realistic, the next day 10 forks would appear distributing it for free.

Re: Windows Code Samples

#18

Post by tormeh »

keevie wrote: post #14
patrickaljord wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They still make money on every single pc/laptop that ships with windows which is still their biggest money maker with office. If they truely open source windows (BSD or else) it will be free to ship for OEM and Microsoft will lose one of their biggest source of income. tl;dr: not gonna happen

Open source doesn't mean free....

Technically not, but look at CentOS. We'd have a knock-off Windows from Samsung or whatever in less than three months.

Edit: Every OEM would have their own spin, for differentiation. Lenovo too...

Re: Windows Code Samples

#19

Post by throwawayish »

bobsgame wrote: post #4

I really hope they open source the NT kernel, or at least part of it. This makes me really excited about the future of Windows!

Some institutes at some universities have access to the NT source code for academic purposes. (Google "Windows Research Kernel" -- supposedly some academic entities have more access).

Re: Windows Code Samples

#20

Post by wongarsu »

patrickaljord wrote: post #13
ealexhudson wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if that happened at this stage - I don't know that they would have much to lose, but they'd potentially have an awful lot to gain.

They still make money on every single pc/laptop that ships with windows which is still their biggest money maker with office. If they truely open source windows (BSD or else) it will be free to ship for OEM and Microsoft will lose one of their biggest source of income. tl;dr: not gonna happen

Android is open source, and still (nearly) everybody is locked into Google's version with licensing costs. Google open-sourced nearly everything, while managing to make their "apps" so entrenched that every customer expects them and even a lot of apps don't work without them.
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