O'Reilly Network Weblogs: Are Open Source apps for Windows bad for Linux? (I don't think so)

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http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/6075

Are Open Source apps for Windows bad for Linux? (I don't think so)

by Todd Ogasawara
Dec. 15, 2004

Efforts to port parts of KDE to the Microsoft Windows platform prompted this question on Slashdot: Open Source on Windows - Boon or Bane for Linux?

As a person who uses both Microsoft Windows and Linux boxes on a daily basis, I think Open Source for Windows is a good thing and blog about it on my own site now at then when I spot an interesting FOSS application for Windows: Open Source for Windows blog

My take is that if Microsoft Windows has an estimated 90 to 95% of the desktop world and a good chunk of the server world, Open Source can get more noticed by more people and bring great applications and server options to the Windows world. I'd be hard pressed to function efficiently without WinSCP, Python, VNC, putty, JEdit and a bunch of other Open Source applications being available for Windows when I'm using that platform. So, I'd sure hate to see Open Source ports stop heading towards Windows.

Todd Ogasawara is the editor of MobileAppsToday.com. He has been named a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in the Mobile Devices category for the past several years. You can find his personal website focusing on Mobile Device Technology at www.mobileviews.com.