Microsoft Developer Explains Why Windows Kernel Development Falls Behind

New submitter mha writes "In a response that truly seems to be from a core Microsoft developer, we are told about why Windows kernel development continues to fall further and further behind that of the Linux kernel. He says, 'The cause of the problem is social. There's almost none of the improvement for its own sake, for the sake of glory, that you see in the Linux world. ... There's no formal or informal program of systemic performance improvement. We started caring about security because pre-SP3 Windows XP was an existential threat to the business. Our low performance is not an existential threat to the business. See, component owners are generally openly hostile to outside patches: if you're a dev, accepting an outside patch makes your lead angry (due to the need to maintain this patch and to justify in in shiproom the unplanned design change), makes test angry (because test is on the hook for making sure the change doesn't break anything, and you just made work for them), and PM is angry (due to the schedule implications of code churn). There's just no incentive to accept changes from outside your own team. You can always find a reason to say "no," and you have very little incentive to say "yes."'"

Comments

i know real reason

[Anonymous Coward]

its all the chairs that are flying around the room....
also need for more lawyers then developers and developers that are lawyers.
YEA thats all have a nice day.....and YOU MADE A TABLET OPERATING SYSTEM AS YOUR MAIN OPERATING SYSTEM HOW RETARDED ARE YOU

Re:Poor Management

[BitZtream]

The world disagrees with you.

Modular Linux has failed in general. Focused android with a company seeking profit from non-geeks has made Linux popular and not any of the 'NIH must do it different because we're to stupid to realize other people don't give a shit about the code, just the end result as it appears to them'