At the ChefCon meeting in April of this year, engineer Mark Russinovich (Chief Technical Officer of Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Azure) revealed to conference 
delegates that [in his words] “it’s definitely possible” that Windows could take the open source route. Eventually.
“Definitely possible”. But is that all?
A Closed Shop
Traditionally, Microsoft Windows and Apple’s operating system OS X have been closed, with the code underlying the software a carefully guarded in-house secret accessible only to developers employed by the two giant firms.
This was very much the case at Microsoft under the stewardship of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Tight control was kept and exerted over the roll-out of releases, crafting the user interface experience, and governing the revenue stream.
That was then. But there’s a new hand on the reins, now.
Changing Tack 
Since Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s Chief Executive, there’s been a shift in focus, from a software-centred approached to a move to online distribution of applications and resources via the cloud (viz. Azure) and an evolving set of mobile apps.
Nadella’s stated objective is to generate revenue and customer satisfaction via online resources like Office 365 (the cloud-based successor to Microsoft’s ubiquitous suite of office productivity software) and to attract new users through services accessible via numerous platforms.
The release of Windows 10 revealed another facet of the new Microsoft approach, with upgrades to the latest OS offered free of charge to existing users of Windows 7 and 8 – and even a special dispensation for users of pirated copies of the old software.
In 2014, the company made its .Net framework an open source offering, allowing independent developers to create applications compatible with other platforms.
And Microsoft’s own cloud development platform, Azure has been beefed up with Web-based virtual machines, services that can run Web applications – and support for the open source Linux platform. Statistics recorded last year indicate that over 20% of Azure systems are running on Linux machines, rather than Windows.
So the seeds for a Microsoft move to open source distribution are there.
If It Does…
Microsoft will have to play by the open source rules. As with the established open source figures like Linux and its mobile derivative Android, an open source Windows would have to have public access to and modification of its underlying code as a given, from the start.
Developers would be able to tweak and transform the code, with different projects ultimately yielding unique distributions of the operating system, as we’ve seen with the various flavours of Linux.
Open source advocates would welcome this as an opportunity for contributors to help create a more stable, robust and secure operating platform. But the reverse argument also holds some water, in that free access to the source code would give hackers and malware authors free rein to plant more bugs and holes in an operating system already notorious for its vulnerability to attackers.
And for Microsoft, there’s an economic effect. As a closed system, the firm has enjoyed exclusive rights to Windows development – which has long been a key factor in maintaining Microsoft’s leadership of the market. If the OS goes open source, this advantage would disappear, forcing the company to look to other methods to remain competitive.
We’re already seeing this with the push for Office 365 subscriptions, file storage with OneDrive, and other services being marketed not only to traditional Windows users but also to Windows Phone, Android, and iOS.
If It Doesn’t?
Microsoft’s reliance on catering to the mobile device market and its so-called “Third Platform” (the cloud) may not be enough, in a tech environment where adaptability and transparency are becoming the dominant forces.
The company seems to have recognised this, with its decision to open up the .Net framework. And this may be the way in which they’ll proceed in future; farming out segments of the Windows operating system as open source projects, in a gradual conversion process. There have been other moves too, like the release of more than 1,000 apps to the Microsoft GitHub website.
There’s resistance from hardcore Windows desktop / laptop users to consider, as well. Open source versions of office and consumer / professional software like PhotoShop never quite seem to hit the mark – and there may be a tendency for users to want to stick with the products they already know and love.
For enterprise users, the thought of tinkering with their OS by the tech and hacker community at large may raise serious red flags on security. It’s quite possible that Microsoft may give its corporate customers an opt-out clause, should a general move to open source be on the cards.
In the final analysis, it’ll come down to the Comfort Zone, and who’s most willing to move out of it: Microsoft, or its established user base. And don’t expect a full Windows distro any time soon.
Kerry Butters
Kerry is a published author and writer on all things tech, corporate tech, data centres, SEO, webdesign & more for some of the world’s leading sites.