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When will MS replace the NT-kernel in windows?

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AG6QR:

--- Quote from: nctnico on January 20, 2024, 04:13:40 pm ---The makers of those tools should have started porting to Linux a long time ago. Linux is much more suitable to run CAD software compared to Windows anyway.

--- End quote ---
I was a software developer for Autodesk, working on AutoCAD and related products, from 1991 through 2016, so I have some historical insight.

When I started in 1991, most developers had a Sun workstation running Unix (SunOS, later Solaris) for software development, and a DOS box running DOS 5.0 for porting and testing. AutoCAD made the vast portion of its money on the DOS platform, because it was cheap for customers to buy.  But it was also a lousy platform for software development for something as big as AutoCAD. We had to wrestle with a Phar-Lap DOS extender, and a primitive Watcom compiler that didn't really have much of an IDE or debugger. So everything was developed and initially tested on Unix.  We also sold AutoCAD on HP-UX, Silicon Graphics, and a bunch of other Unix-ish platforms.

Autodesk had a significant body of software that was used to encapsulate UI and device drivers, so that menus and display code could be developed once at displayed on DOS, Windows, and various flavors of Unix.

Circa 1993-1996, after Windows NT was introduced, Windows became a platform that was workable for software development.  Management decided that it was too much effort to support all the different ports of AutoCAD, so AutoCAD became Windows-only.  It took almost no time for Windows-isms to creep into the code such that it couldn't be compiled on anything except Windows.  MFC, use of the registry, COM, and similar things were everywhere.

Funny thing was, around the time AutoCAD was becoming hopelessly mired in Windows, Linux distributions were becoming usable. If the timelines had been only slightly different, a Linux port of AutoCAD could have been possible in the 1990s.  Alas, it was not to be.

It may be possible to run some versions of AutoCAD under Linux using some form of emulation (a VM running Windows could certainly do it!), but as of October 23, Autodesk has posted an official position that AutoCAD and its verticals are not supported on Linux.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/AutoCAD-and-verticals-on-Linux.html

Maybe someday...

Zero999:

--- Quote from: tom66 on January 20, 2024, 02:05:41 pm ---The Windows operating system and NT kernel are quite fundamentally different to Linux which is based on a POSIX-like architecture.

I don't see it happening because it would reduce vendor lock in to the Microsoft world.  For instance you would likely be able to run any "Windows" application on any Linux if the kernels were similar.  Microsoft could make some parts proprietary but the difficulty of porting those over would be less.  Drivers for graphics cards, networking and so on would be more reliable on Linux.

--- End quote ---
It's not true that all windows programs would run on GNU/Linux, if MS decided to use a Linux kernel for Windows. Remember, Linux is just the kernel. MS could keep all the graphical part proprietary, which would mean the only Windows software which would run under GNU/Linux would be some command line tools and drivers.

DimitriP:

--- Quote ---Management decided that it was too much effort to support all the different ports of AutoCAD, so AutoCAD became Windows-only.
--- End quote ---

At least it avoided  the "linux is free, why do I have to pay for X ? " question.
Or getting burdened with the "when will you support the YZ distribution?".

Still, having a multiplatform product and dropping one always seemed wierd to me.

There is something to be said about being able to migrate a character based application
from the 1990s running on UNIX to  2023 running on windows with current hardware, other than the speed shock!

 

Perkele:
For those buying the computers in large quantities, operating systems are not important. Applications and backwards compatibility are.
Those are also Microsoft's main customers.
They are not willing to pay for the move, and never will be.

SiliconWizard:
The Windows NT kernel is actually rather decent, and certainly the last thing that should be changed in Windows IMO. The idea doesn't make any sense.

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