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Comment by cliffbean | Hacker News Reader

While most people don't hack kernel code themselves, there is still value in promoting open source operating systems. A future in which Windows becomes popular on mobile/embedded devices is likely a future with more binary blobs, more OS-locked hardware, and fewer opportunities for those people who do want to hack on kernel code.

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> A future in which Windows becomes popular on mobile/embedded devices is likely a future with more binary blobs, more OS-locked hardware, and fewer opportunities for those people who do want to hack on kernel code.

I just can't agree with that. F/OSS fan that I am, I still think the same opportunities will exist whether Windows runs on a particular piece of hardware or not. After all, GNU/Linux and BSD have flourished despite Windows running on the same hardware for the past 30 years. How is this any different? I see it as opening up new channels for learning, not closing them off.

To look at it another way, this is similar to Microsoft being late to the party on modern smartphones. The existence of Windows Phone 7 and 8 has done absolutely nothing to slow down the explosion of popularity in Android and iOS phones.

I don't foresee a huge percentage of Raspberry Pi owners jumping ship to Windows 10; maybe dabbling with it but that's it. As far as we know, GNU/Linux will continue to offer a superior learning experience.

FreeBSD has "flourished"? I seem to remember only two years ago before Christmas they were begging for donations or they will close shop.

Linux and FreeBSD/OpenBSD certainly hasn't "flourished" on users' PCs either, which is the above commenter's point.

I didn't see anything in the parent's comment about GNU/Linux or FreeBSD on desktop PCs, nor was I talking about it on desktop PCs. The Raspberry Pi has always been meant as a learning device, a maker's toolkit, a base for building something other than a boring desktop PC. The fact that it now has the power to be a desktop PC doesn't mean that's all it will ever be.

One definition (the one I was using) of "flourish" is "to develop rapidly and successfully". I stand by that description; GNU/Linux and the BSDs have seen steady improvement and rapid development surges over the past few decades. If you're claiming otherwise, I'd say look at the server statistics across the Internet. Look at mobile phone operating systems. Look anywhere but the desktop, and you'll see Free and Open Source solutions far outstripping any offering from Microsoft.

I say, welcome to the party Microsoft. Again, one more channel for learning should be welcomed, not shunned because of old prejudices.

What? These are not "old prejudices", Windows is still proprietary software and that's still harmful to user freedom. This is not just "one more channel for learning", it's a dying proprietary platform trying to piggyback on the success of a popular open-source platform.

While I don't run Windows in my house (except in a VM for work), I make a living teaching a product that does run on Windows, and I'm not an Apple (or Microsoft) apologist.

And I humbly submit that Windows as far from a dying platform. Less popular, sure, the numbers bear that out, but popularity isn't a measure of longevity. If that was the case, OS X would be dead, along with most Unix-like OSs.

Given that Microsoft is steadily becoming more open-source friendly and I'm seeing them being ridiculed for it across the web, I'd say a lot of old prejudice is at play.

Besides, Google's version of Android is also proprietary software that is not only harmful to user freedom, it's also more and more privacy hostile every day. Yet Google is still held as the pinnacle of open source friendly companies in some circles. Old prejudices, again.

I distinguish between proprietary apps and proprietary kernel. The open source world can build its own apps. Mostly. However, it can't build its own kernel if the hardware is undocumented and/or only supported by OS-specific binary blobs. Drivers are key to a lot of things.

MS is a lot more open-source friendly, and smarter, but it's pretty clear that this is a strategy to get more people tied into ecosystems which favor proprietary Windows. MS is behind, so they're playing catch-up.

I don't disagree, and I'll add that the Raspberry Pi is still encumbered by a binary blob that is required to boot, no matter the actual OS that is loaded after. I for one would absolutely love to see a 100% fully documented, Free and Open Source development board, from the board layout, to the CPU/GPU design, the boot code, and all kernel and userland software.

Unfortunately there is no real market interest for such a device, so I'll take what I can get.

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