[ignoramous]

> a normal developer and not a company it's pretty much the same

Microsoft shares Windows codebase with its partners. Is there a tangible difference between it and Android?

Also, as a developer, why would you volunteer for a "source first" codebase? I don't see any point since you can't really fork it, in the traditional sense.

[ImJamal]

Anybody can view the source code of Android and make their own version.

Only a limited number of people can view the Windows code and nobody can make their own version of Windows.