Microsoft Had Another Year Of Big Open-Source Surprises

[tildearrow]

IDGAF. uid313 said "ANY application software", so my post still counts.

Sorry. I must read carefully.

Also, you guys act as if any Windows software from the old days still runs, but there is software that doesn't run. RollerCoaster Tycoon (the original) for example wouldn't run on my Windows 8.1 machine a few years ago and needed a patch before it would actually run and even then there were a few glitches still, like distorted graphics for example. And I know from reading various forums that wasn't the only one.
IN FACT, it doesn't even run anymore on Windows 10 because Microsoft removed DirectPlay in a recent update which RCT requires.

And there are more examples of old software that doesn't run on newer Windows versions.

Sorry. I completely forgot about this. Some old GameMaker games I had have crash issues in Windows 8, and a friend of mine can't get Touhou to work since it runs way too fast and the DirectX shim does nothing. Clarified my post to include "with some exceptions".

However the forum software unapproved my edit and the post is now gone.

[Vistaus]

Sorry. I must read carefully.



Sorry. I completely forgot about this. Some old GameMaker games I had have crash issues in Windows 8, and a friend of mine can't get Touhou to work since it runs way too fast and the DirectX shim does nothing. Clarified my post to include "with some exceptions".

However the forum software unapproved my edit and the post is now gone.

Thanks for the clarifications

But, still, even on Linux there are positive exceptions: Sim City 3000 Unlimited by Loki still can be made to run on recent distros with a Python script and that's a very old proprietary ported-to-Linux game: https://github.com/tetration/Simcity...inux_Installer

[Weasel]

Vistaus you cannot compare a broken game abusing assumptions and APIs with Linux userland instability.

[Vistaus]

Vistaus you cannot compare a broken game abusing assumptions and APIs with Linux userland instability.

I did not compare that, that's why I said that it's a POSITIVE EXCEPTION.

[onicsis]

I don't know what to say. Kudos to Microsoft, but! But software patents and pantent trolls ...

[mokkafyr]

Microsoft also have Xamarin which runs Android and iOS, but not on Windows, macOS or Linux.
So Microsoft does have a cross-platform runtime (.NET Core), but not any cross-platform UI.

Xamarin forms has Linux and macOS support as a preview feature. It already support Windows, iOS and Android.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/xamarin-forms/

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/xamarin-forms/platform/gtk

[mammlouk]

Thanks for the clarifications

But, still, even on Linux there are positive exceptions: Sim City 3000 Unlimited by Loki still can be made to run on recent distros with a Python script and that's a very old proprietary ported-to-Linux game: https://github.com/tetration/Simcity...inux_Installer

UT2K4 (Unreal Tournament 2004) installs and runs quite well too. I pulled out my box of old games a month ago. I popped the DVD into the disc drive, ran the included installer, and enjoyed a couple rounds against the bots. Everything ran on Solus without a hitch.

[b15hop]

If people want to see a massive pile of Microsoft Open Source projects:

https://opensource.microsoft.com/

What I would really like to see is cross development of Visual Studio instead of VS Code.

[MartinN]

If anyone's going to have Linux penetrate the desktop and pretty much declare game over to any desktop OS for the next 50 years, it'll be Microsoft. The only issue is how to provide NT/Windows users a trouble free or nearly trouble free and seamless integration of Windows onto a Linux kernel backend, to the point where even my computer illiterate grandma won't notice the difference in features/performance...

Well within the realm of doable, and if anyone has the time/resources to pull this off, it'll be Microsoft. Nadella brought the clue phone to Microsoft.... Long live Nadella.

[rbmorse]

The biggest surprises are yet to come, when Microsoft formally moves Windows 10 over to the Linux kernel and Wayland. This will include a Windows System Call emulation layer on Linux and a DirectX and GDI to Vulkan/Wayland layer which will allow Windows GUI libraries and program binaries which use GDI and DirectX to be used on Linux , Vulkan, and Wayland. This will also include a device driver compatibility layer allowing Windows device drivers to be used on Linux. The Windows 10 look/feel will be maintained but the Windows userland GUI code will run on Linux and Wayland using system call emulation and the GDI/DirectX over Vulkan/Wayland comptability layer which will support running GDI and DirectX code and the complete Windows GUI on top of Wayland and Vulkan backend.

It won't be Windows 10. Might be Unity, but more likely a re-engineering of Gnome via Xamarin.