Windows Linux? Coalition of Windows and Novell

[beatgammit 0]

Microsoft is making moves into the Linux/*nix arena by working with Novell. Microsoft is going to pay $240 million to Novell to allow open source Linux software to work with Windows. Link to article. This move has been reviewed by many critics. One reviewer postulates the idea of joining Windows and Linux (using the Linux kernal and Windows tools, libraries etc.). Link to article. The hope is to create an operating system that won't crash like Windows is want to do, but still with Windows' "infrastructure and applications".

 

Today's world runs on Windows, but a mix of Windows/Linux could be great for everyone!! Nobody can deny that Windows has many great applications (not to mention, most video games are released to work on Windows). This would be a great integration of two great technologies.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

I'm a bit skeptical on this idea. Yes, Microsoft is easing up on Linux, but to say making a Microsoft Linux? I don't think so. Microsoft had in the past try building their own version of UNIX, but was never successful. It was called "Xenix".xboxrulz

[wutske 0]

okay, that means we'll get Linux Apps -> Windows ... but what about Windows apps -> Linux ? It's one way traffic and it's just a move to get linux users to windows (because their fav. apps run on windows too).

[qwijibow 0]

We Already have Linux Apps on Windows...
X11 runs on windows, as does GTK, and QT, using cygwin to fill in the gaps.

with the above, most linux userland apps can be ported quite easily.

Microsoft is going to pay $240 million to Novell to allow open source Linux software to work with Windows

Linux is an Open Source Kernel, And GNU is an open source Operating system... Microsoft does not need to pay any money to use OPen Source Sofrtware openly...

And it would not be possable for MS to use any OS software under a differant licence, as it would be almost impossable to track down every source contributer ( emailing patches etc ) to get everyones permission for a licence change.

Microsoft can use the Linux Kernel whever they want, completely free of charge.. aslong as any modifications are also made open.. ( intergrating the windows kernel would classify as one HUGE modification )

I think there is alot of confusion over this news.

[lajoshal 0]

I am sick from Microsoft's news. How can Microsoft keep their customers pay the big prices for their licenses when Linux does server functions better performance and better reliability with uncomparable prices? This is a big challange. One solution is to misinform the customers who doesn't know anything about Linux.

 

As I remember the story is about Mono. http://www.mono-project.com/

This was sponsored by Novell.

 

To understand the story we should talking about softwares. Let's look deeper a bit. When a programmer creates a software usually uses a programming language that creates executable code from the human readable source code. The programming language can be fortran, basic, c, pascal, assembly so on.

There are 2 types of languages: interpreted and compiled. Compiled means that you can compile your source code to a machine readable code which runs directly by the system. Imagine internet explorer. You start and it runs immediately. Mozilla is also a web browser like internet explorer. Mozilla can run on several platforms (Linux,windows,mac) so this is a good example of compiled software. When you try to copy the software from windows machine to linux machine it will not run. They use different system calls. You have to download that which was compiled to your system: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/

The disadvantage is that you must compile your software to each platform.

While compiled program is runned by the system interpreted program is runned by an interpreter application. Interpreter program is runned by the system. So there is a compiled program, called interpreter, which runs your software. The advantage of this feature is that you don't need to modify your source code and it will run on other platform. Imagine Java. You use web pages with java applets. Java rutnime engine or java virtual machine is the interpreter. It interprets the language's code to the system code.

 

Java was free however its license contained a part that informs you that Sun,developer of Java, keeps the right to ask money for it. As you observed in near past mp3 had similar license. Microsoft created similar language, called c sharp (c#). They don't worry about licenses. The .net platform is a runtime engine as Java virtual machine. You use a software,called .net runtime engine, to run the c# applications. If someone implements a .net runtime environment for linux then c# applications will be able to run on linux without modification.

 

And now let's get back to Novell and Mono.

Mono is the .net runtime environment which runs on linux and was supported by Novell.

 

Novell and Microsoft shakes hands. Now each software which was developed for windows - in c# language - will run on linux. Each software which was developed for linux AND in c# language will run in windows also.

However you need a run time engine which runs your code.

 

There is nothing new in this story. Java have do the same for years ago. And Java is free now.

Due to the interpreted style your program never be as fast as a compiled one.

 

Personally I prefer freepascal and Lazarus as an approach of creating multiplatform applications.

http://www.lazarus-ide.org/

 

The story is about marketing. They try to push to the manager's head that Microsoft will be the only platform in the future. Microsoft wants to make linux users to pay for the Microsoft licenses which was acquired during this Novell-Microsoft cooperation. I hope the judges will be objective and refuse corruption I mean the money offered by Microsoft.

 

The same license-fight story with GPL have been happened with mplayer [design7/news.html]. Luckily judges was not too corrupt.

[cinemove 0]

bad idea because we all know windows is low in security facts on hack more likly windows is 98% like to got hacked or have a virus 1.5% mac and apple pc's.linux 0.5% likely there only 5 or so virus made to attack linux and no record of hack the same for apple pcs.windows have 1000 or more virus and have hacks every day facts linux is used to make virus for windows becouse if it back fires it wont stop pc becouse only a windows virus only work on windows

Edited April 20, 2007 by cinemove (see edit history)

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

Thing is, the truth of this article means that if they were ever into a legal dispute over something like SCO vs. Linux, Novell would be covered, if they went like "Microsoft vs. Linux".xboxrulz