Comment OS Isn't always the best tool for the job (Score 2, Interesting) 513
As interesting as it would be to be able to see the source code behind such programs as Windows or Office or even ICQ, is it even that important?
Windows runs like ass, and therefore it's a pretty safe bet it wasn't coded very well. I don't need to see the source code to figure that one out. And quite frankly, even if it was coded badly, as long as it were to run well, I don't think most people would care anyway. Hell, it DOESN'T run all that well and a lot of people still don't care anyway.
The only nice thing would be maybe if the source were available a few people would be nice enough to fix it up or something. Other than that, it's not too important, except for anti-trust reasons, so we can get a decent .doc handling program that's free, for example. But even that can be effectively remedied without complete open source. Even a behemoth like Microsoft could be made much friendlier through some well placed stubs, open protocols, etc.
As for everything else, source code just isn't always the best idea, or even very necessary. The government or other high security needing people should have source code, and experienced hackers to audit it. That makes sense. But other than that, to have everything done ONE WAY is usually not the best idea. That's the beauty of being able to choose a license or just make your own up-- you can choose the best tool for the job.
Windows runs like ass, and therefore it's a pretty safe bet it wasn't coded very well. I don't need to see the source code to figure that one out. And quite frankly, even if it was coded badly, as long as it were to run well, I don't think most people would care anyway. Hell, it DOESN'T run all that well and a lot of people still don't care anyway.
The only nice thing would be maybe if the source were available a few people would be nice enough to fix it up or something. Other than that, it's not too important, except for anti-trust reasons, so we can get a decent
As for everything else, source code just isn't always the best idea, or even very necessary. The government or other high security needing people should have source code, and experienced hackers to audit it. That makes sense. But other than that, to have everything done ONE WAY is usually not the best idea. That's the beauty of being able to choose a license or just make your own up-- you can choose the best tool for the job.
