[Sussex] Steve Ballmer using Linux in public

[Paul Tansom]

On Sat, 2005-04-23 at 18:57 +0100, Rupert Swarbrick wrote:
> Paul Tansom wrote:
<snip>
> > An interesting dilemma, although I'm not sure as I see it happening, at
> > least not for a good while yet. That said, Microsoft aren't stupid and
> > if pushed to a point might just see it as the final 'embrace and extend'
> > initiative for them, perhaps, maybe???
> > <snip>
> > 
> Interesting question.
> 
> That said, many of my friends say "Would be interested in Linux, but
> games don't run on it" (*don't* flame me about ports of them - I know,
> but not that many games are ported at the moment)
> 
> Were Microsoft to produce a Linux distro, presumably more commercial
> games would be released on linux, which wouldn't depend so much on the
> Windows API, would probably use openGL not D3D etc.
> 
> Would probably work on other distros, nullifying this problem.
> 
> Of course, I have my mind set on higher things than computer games... :)

The end result of something like this would likely be down to how close
MS made the API match between their distro extensions and Windows. If
they were very close then the minimal porting would leave the MS
distribution a half way house between 'real Linux' and Windows (since it
would be easy to make Windows apps work with MS Linux, but not with
other Linux distros).

Whilst that may not appeal to the majority of existing Linux users (and
LUG members) it may just bring a new wave of people 'across'. I've used
quotes their because they would still be tied to an MS OS, or more
specifically would likely not have changed the apps they use
significantly - which some may argue is of more significance in terms of
bringing people across to free / open source software than getting
people using Linux.

If people are still using MS Office and other proprietary software with
their data locked into the proprietary file formats then they are still
just as trapped as they are under Windows. If people are using
applications like OOo under Windows then they have freed their data by
using open file formats and the underlying OS is, arguably, irrelevant
since they can switch across to Mac OS X, Linux or BSD with the same
application (or one that can read the file format).

Anyway, as I said in another post, I don't actually see it happening -
and on the off-chance it the Microsoft monopoly would already be broken
to create the necessary environment for a climb down of that magnitude!

-- 
Paul Tansom | Aptanet Ltd. | http://www.aptanet.com/