I have already commented on other occasions that Windows 10 is the latest Windows from Microsoft, but it will not be the last safe operating system. It already has an expiration date (end of support for Win 10), since they continue to improve it as a Rolling Release until they stop within a while and cease their support, which depending on the version or edition ranges between 2021 and 2029. And many they wonder, after this what? If not there will be a Windows 11.
Ok, with that being said, we also have to add the mindset shift from Microsoft in recent years, opening some projects, carrying others to Linux, collaborating in the development of Linux to integrate HyperV, now as members of the Linux Foundation, including that Linux subsystem in Win 10, creating products based on Linux as we have been announcing, the purchase of GitHub, etc. Without a doubt, a quite remarkable change that some see with optimism and others with some suspicion ...
We do not know with certainty if this will happen, but not many days ago, a news broke in a famous international blog where there was talk of a Lindows or an MS-Linux, as I have titled here. And I would like to do an exercise in imagination with you and for a moment to think that this hypothetical future has arrived, it is today and it has become a reality. Microsoft has opted for Linux and is now its replacement kernel for Windows NT. Can you imagine the consequences this would have?
Advantages:
- This supposed MS-Linux would become the most used operating system on the desktop, conquering once and for all the only sector that remains to dominate.
- That would attract large number of developers, porting all that monstrous amount of native Windows software to Linux. Adobe, Autodesk, ... and countless large software corporations making programs for him. Even Microsoft Office.
- If Linux is going to say goodbye to 2018 with more than 5000 video game titles, this move would be a brutal push in this regard, because it would be the complete king of video games, occupying the slot of Windows. Millions of gamers would join the penguin platform.
- Maybe it would be a lethal blow also for MacOS and AppleSince some of those who need a Unix on the desktop with some support, software and drivers, they would not have to bet on the apple, but they would have everything they are looking for in MS-Linux.
- Hardware at ease since, although hardware support In Linux it is now very good, in the boxes of the devices that we buy would also appear the support for this OS, and not only that of Windows and MacOS as it usually appears officially.
- INCLUDED nutritive for other distros or open source projects, because perhaps that interest in developing code for this system could also be executed in other distributions.
- La standardization for Linux it could come almost forced. This may be taken as a disadvantage by many, but Torvalds himself has already spoken about wanting a greater standardization in the Linux desktop to recover quota against Windows and MacOS. That fragmentation and multiple projects in parallel can be good for satisfying different users, but community development efforts are scattered. Remember that "divide and conquer", so all together would be much more interesting for me. And this would also directly affect the ease of developers when it comes to packaging their products, without having to create different packages for different distros or managers ...
- Ability or some control over the computer marketSince the community does not currently have such pressure capacity, but companies like Microsoft can directly influence other large manufacturers. For example, we all see what it costs to implement the alternatives to proprietary firmware, however, how little it has cost Microsoft to enforce UEFI with Secure Boot.
Disadvantages:
- Some or many projects of GNU / Linux distributions and others like current LibreOffice would probably die for lack of interest for all that mass of users who would have run towards MS-Linux. Although I am sure that there would still be faithful.
- The amount of malware and attacks oriented towards Linux would increase.
- We would have much more proprietary software and drivers (binary blobs) running on our system if we opt for MS-Linux.
- Perhaps a part of the community or developers who are faithful to the ideology of the FOSS started by Richard Stallman and who would not look favorably on certain movements.
- More bloatware and less privacy for a greater reporting of user information.
- Perhaps pay a price for something we now have for free ...
Do not forget to leave your comments with the additional advantages and disadvantages they find in this exercise of imagination ...