If Microsoft Went Open Source

From an Anonymous Reader: "The BBC's Bill Thompson has written a speculative article about the possibility of Microsoft attempting to secure their place in the future of operating systems by creating an open operating system. From the article: 'They allocate a billion dollars worth of programmers to shine and polish [The new OS] for a year, improving its compatibility with Windows Server technologies, donating parts of the Windows and Office code bases under the GPL and turning it into the world's best operating system.' Could this ever happen?

Comments

Summary.

[gardyloo]

turning it into the world's best operating system.' Could this ever happen?

      Doubtful. Ask again later.

If Microsoft went open source..

[Anonymous Coward]

I would get laid..

never happening..

Re:If Microsoft went open source..

[tloh]

If Microsoft went open source..

I would get laid..

never happening..

Nothing ventured nothing gained...
...That goes for both of you.

Re:If Microsoft went open source..

[SleepyHappyDoc]

I would get laid..

Yeah, by Bill Gates.

"Could this ever happen?"

[LowbrowDeluxe]

Well...sure! If I ever see a large order for hand-knit sweaters for damned souls I'll start expecting it.

Ooooh!

[dasunt]

While we are wishing, I want a money tree in the back yard that sheds $100 bills.

And world peace.

And a pony!

Re:Ooooh!

[NanoGator]

"While we are wishing, I want a money tree in the back yard that sheds $100 bills.

And world peace.

And a pony!"

If I were posting a fantasy about being a rich guy with a pony and no law enforcement, I'd post it anonymously.

Re:Ooooh!

[arkhan_jg]

Wouldn't the pony eat the $100 bills growing on the tree?

Or we talking about some big-ass money tree that it can't reach?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Short answer?

[ruiner13]

No.

Long answer?

No f'n way.

There, settled.

shya

[Wordsmith]

Shya. And some dude screaming "developers" might fly out of my butt.

Re:Wrong emphasis

[TapeCutter]

"What Microsoft should do is open up their software, and invest their money in more programmers, but not to do coding, to act as support for the rest of us who do the coding."

I think IBM has that bussiness sewn up already.

Embrace, Extend, Exterminate

[DaveM753]

Possible future quotes from one Mr. Ballmer:

Embrace: "Microsoft will now provide a free Open Source Operating System. We are doing this to ensure that even citizens of the poorest of nations can freely access information via the Internet. We will work closely with existing Open Source Software developers to ensure their ability to produce cross-platform software to meet that end."

Extend: "As Microsoft's Open Source Operating System has grown in popularity, it appears that cross-platform software packages on some competing operating systems are introducing security holes that endanger user privacy. Therefore, we at Microsoft will add high-strength encryption standards based on our .PRIVACY(TM) Security Extentions."

Exterminate: "Software not compatible with .PRIVACY(TM) Security Extentions standards will no longer work with Microsoft's ... blah, blah, blah..."

...you get the picture...

Re:Wrong emphasis

[Nasarius]

What Microsoft should do is open up their software, and invest their money in more programmers, but not to do coding, to act as support for the rest of us who do the coding.

Ah, so you support the "free as in slave labor" open-source model?

World's best operating system?

[Fear the Clam]

Yeah, right.

Microsoft spends millions on a UI lab every year and the biggest innovation they can come up with is hiding Clippy.

This reminds me of...

[teslatug]

This story reminds me of Conan's "If they mated"

Re:Not a chance

[Noehre]

> PS: Is my user ID small enough?

No. Never small enough!

Lucky you

[ImaLamer]

Snippet From Microsoft PR Website:

Microsoft has just announced that for the past two hundred years there has been a program running that they've acquired in a recent takeover called WorldPeace 1.2. Microsoft has taken over the secret company that once ran the program using fly wheels and slide-rules and has promised to fix its flawed design which caused the program (WorldPeace) to crash ever 40-60 years.

Re:Not a chance

[hypnotik]

Damn straight.

What a concept

[c1ay]

open bloatware