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Microsoft Reaches Out To Blender

Posted by kdawson on from the first-we-embrace dept.

dmbasso writes "Continuing its strategy to support FOSS application on the Windows platform, Microsoft mailed the Blender developers asking how they could help improve the experience of Blender users on Windows. Groklaw puts it in perspective using Steve Ballmer's own words."

3 of 444 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Message to people who gripe about interfaces by suso · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ok, you know what. I doubt there is any convincing you because like so many other people, you've already made up your mind based on what you've heard.

    So don't use the word intuitive then because its probably the wrong word to use when talking about 3d software. Let's say this instead, once you've really spent some time learning Blender's interface, you will start to think that a lot of other 3d user interfaces have it wrong. At least I did. I used Imagine for years and I thought Imagine made a lot of sense, but after using Blender for 3 months and actually spending time to learn it, I'm so much faster at creating objects in Blender than I ever was in Imagine.

    I think what has happened, is that the myth that it is hard to use has preceded the application. Blender is not the only software with this problem.

  2. Does MS understand what Blender is? by Dracos · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Based on the snip that Ton posted, I get the impression that MS doesn't comprehend what Blender is, or how it works. File formats? That's low on the list of Blender's issues with Windows. Never mind that OOXML's status as an ISO standard is debatable.

    If MS wants to support Blender (and lots of other FOSS software) on Windows, they need to put real effort into supporting OpenGL. FOSS developers don't generally bother with supporting DirectX and OpenGL, and most of the time supporting Windows at all is an afterthought.

    But, MS won't do it because that would make it easier for games to be developed for Windows and anything else.

  3. MS philosophy towards "openess" in a nutshell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Transcribed from the Iowa State anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft.
    http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/3000/PX03020.pdf

    From: Bill Gates
    Sent: Sunday, January 24, 1999 8:41 AM
    To: Jeff Weslorinon, Ben Fatbi
    Cc: Carl Stork (Exchange); Nathan Myhrvold; Eric Rudder
    Subject: ACPI extensions

    One thing I find myself wondering about is whether we shouldn't try and make the "ACPI" extensions somehow Window specific.

    It seem unfortunate if we do this work and get our partners to do the work and the result is that Linux works great without having to do the work.

    Maybe there is no way to avoid this problem but it does bother me.

    Maybe we could define the APIs so that they work well with NT and not the others even if they are open .

    Or maybe we could patent something related to this.




    That's MS's philosopy about "open" standards in 1999, and it's their philosphy in 2008.