Summary : Nick explains why he is writing about Windows for the third consecutive time and, in the  process, covers XFree86, Win4Lin, and the rumor that Microsoft is using Linux code in  Windows. (1,100 words) 

By Nicholas Petreley 

           Here I am writing about the infamous Windows operating system for the third week in a row in LinuxWorld.com. Life is funny that way. Fortunately, I don't hate Windows as much as I used to,  so Windows fans can take comfort in the fact that I'm not as motivated to complain about it as I used to be. On the other hand, I suspect the reason I don't hate Windows as much is because now I only use it to play games. If Windows has so easily become irrelevant in my life, then it won't be long before it becomes irrelevant to many others. 

            Anyway, here's what I've had to say about Windows lately. Two weeks ago, I called for Microsoft to open the source code to Windows so that we could be certain it didn't have any secret backdoors (see Resources for a link). Most of the people I've heard from on the topic agree. One person insisted that people could be embedding backdoors into Linux as well. I agree -- it is certainly possible. But here's the crucial difference between Windows and Linux: if someone puts a backdoor into Linux, someone will eventually find it. Once it is found, I can eliminate it, rebuild the kernel, and get back up and running safely within minutes. With Windows, verifying the existence of the backdoor is nearly impossible. And even if you could, eliminating it yourself would be equally difficult because you don't have the source code to rebuild the kernel. 

              Last week I talked about a very cool product called Win4Lin (see Resources for a link) that allows you  to run Windows 95 or Windows 98 under Linux so that you can run Linux but still use  company-standard applications such as Microsoft Office or Outlook. The best thing about Win4Lin is that it seems to cause virtually no performance degradation to Windows or Linux. If anything,Windows seems to run faster than it does natively, although I have no idea how that would be possible. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly

               This week I have both good news and bad news about Windows, depending on how you look at it. The good news is that people tell me recent versions of Windows seem to be more stable than in the past, and the upcoming versions of Windows are even more promising. 

                 The bad news is tied to the explanation for why Windows may be getting more stable. According to a source who has access to internal Microsoft developers, Microsoft has dedicated resources specifically to the task of analyzing Linux source code and rewriting sections of it for use in Windows. According to the source, it is the adoption and translation of Linux code that is helping Windows become more stable. 

                 If this turns out to be more than just a rumor, it may be bad news for two reasons. I am not a lawyer, but I suspect that such a practice may constitute a violation of the GNU General Public License (GPL)  (see Resources for a link), under which Linux is licensed. Depending on how Microsoft is using the code, it may be required to release some or all the Windows source code to avoid violating the license provisions. That is bad news for Microsoft only if an ambitious lawyer sniffs out the potential for suing  the software giant for violation of the GPL and smells cash. Since Microsoft has plenty of it, such a  lawsuit would be extremely tempting. 

                   There's only one problem a lawyer might have presenting that case. The principle of the GPL is that you are not allowed to create and distribute software that includes GPL source code without giving back your additions and modifications to the developer community. I'm not sure you could find a Linux developer who would take the stand and testify that the developer community is being hurt by the fact that Microsoft isn't contributing back to the Linux code base. Considering the talent that put together Windows in the first place, such a contribution would probably be classified as unintentional sabotage. 

                       The Win4Lin connection and reason number two. So if Windows is so crappy without the added stability of Linux code, then why would I endorse something like Win4Lin, which simply enables you to run that crappy Windows on Linux? It's a matter of facing reality. Most people don't need Windows to be productive. As I've said many times, I haven't used Windows to do any work for years. 

                          But many Linux fans do need to run Windows because their company requires them to use certain Windows applications. For them, Win4Lin is a dream come true. A friend of mine who is in this position visited the other day. I booted up Windows 98 under Win4Lin, started up a few Microsoft applications, and then restarted Windows 98. The whole reboot process took about fifteen seconds. He was sold  instantly. And he's no fan of Windows. 

                          But back to the issue of Microsoft integrating Linux code into Windows: assuming no lawyer would  find it worthwhile to take a GPL violation case against Microsoft, the rumor that Microsoft is using Linux code to improve Windows would be bad news for the Windows market for still another reason. If Windows is improving because its developers depend on the excellence of Linux source code, then one can only conclude that Windows will always be at least one step behind Linux in terms of core innovation and quality. 

                      That's very bad news for Microsoft and the Windows market. Microsoft made a habit of squashing competition because it could make Windows a moving target. That kept its competitors in continual catch-up mode. But if Linux developers are the teachers, and Windows developers are the students, then it is Windows that will always be in catch-up mode. So, bad for Microsoft, but good for Linux since that scenario gives Linux not only the technical advantage but the public perception advantage as well. 

                    So I ask you Windows fans -- are you disappointed that your favorite operating system will now be perceived as in perpetual catch-up mode to Linux? Or are you simply grateful that Windows is finally getting some quality code in it, regardless of where it's coming from? 

                   That is, of course, assuming the rumor is true . Although I find the proposition that Microsoft is using Linux code to improve Windows entirely credible, you can help me put more meat on the story. Do any of you know the name of the Microsoft server on which that work is being done and the exact location of that server? If what you know matches up with the information I can get from my sources, it would go a long way toward giving the allegations credibility. And, as always, if you have some juicy tips about anything of interest to our readers, by all means pass them on to me