[Info-vax] RMS intro

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 1/1/2024 4:57 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 09:48:53 -0500, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 12/31/2023 11:51 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>> On Sun, 31 Dec 2023 22:35:34 -0500, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>> It stands for Linux, but that does not mean that they are trying to
>>>> move the general Windows user to a Linux experience.
>>>
>>> That seems inevitable, though. At some point it is going to become a
>>> mandatory part of any Windows install. I’m not saying it was
>>> Microsoft’s conscious intention when they introduced it, but it will
>>> become the path of least resistance.
>>
>> But why on earth would they want to do that??
> 
> Because Windows is becoming increasingly complex and expensive for
> Microsoft to maintain,

That problem is something almost all software has. Code bases grow over
time.

>                        and the profits from doing so are shrinking. Every
> Windows user has been noticing how Microsoft is cutting corners on its QA
> lately, with the deteriorating quality of its updates and patches.

That is a hypothesis but the numbers does not support it.

Windows sale = 20 B$/year.

10000 engineers @ 200 K$/year = 2 B$

It does not seem plausible that maintenance cost of Windows
is a real problem for MS.

(and if Windows development are actual done in India instead of
Seattle the cost would be way less)

> So it will naturally take decisions (in its typical short-sighted fashion)
> to reduce that support burden. The obvious, easy one is to rely more and
> more on that Linux kernel for core stuff.

I can't see that.

If they create another Linux desktop distro, then sale would plummmet.
There are no money in Linux desktop distros.

The compatibility API solution would not reduce maintenance significant.

From:

COM + .NET
Win32
NT kernel

to:

COM + .NET
Win32
Linux kernel

MS would still need to maintain all the high level stuff where most
of the work are done.

> Exhibit A, what I consider to be the first step on this path:
> <https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/14/windows_ai_studio_preview/>.

That is a developer tool not a general user tool. So it is not an
indication of WSL being more than development.

Arne