Open Source Windows is Possible says Microsoft Fellow

A top engineer at Microsoft says that Microsoft might one day open source Windows.

Microsoft is changing, but will they ever go as far as open source Windows? Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich says it is definitely possible. One of the top Microsoft engineers made that statement at the ChefConf, a conference around the tool Chef. The tool helps manage different pieces of web infrastructure, which in most cases is open source.

Mark Russinovich made the statement about open sourcing Windows to an audience who is mostly using open source software. He explains though that Microsoft had this conversations about making Windows open source to adapt to the reality of the prominence of open source software, especially in the web. On the other hand, it is questionable how much value an open source Windows OS will have to anybody. It is a code monster. A cleaned up and lean OS that runs on all devices is a different story, but it is not clear if Windows 10 is has lost all the baggage.

The panel discussion with Mark Russinovich has been published on Youtube.

Microsoft has changed quite a bit already. They now embrace cross-platform delivery of their software. Microsoft is also seen to get back on top with the release of Windows 10. The new OS due later this year promises the same user experience across all devices. We will see if that finally is true. It would put Apple and the Android/Linux camp under pressure.