[nullindividual]

I don't think Microsoft has a choice with regards to kernel access. Hell, individuals currently use undocumented NT APIs. I can't imagine what happens to backwards compat if kernel access is closed.

Apple's closed ecosystem is entirely different. They'll change architectures on a whim and users will go with the flow (myself included).

[becurious]

But Apple doesn’t have the industrial and commercial uses that Linux and Windows have. Where you can’t suddenly switch out to a new architecture without massive amounts of validation costs.

At my previous job they used to use Macs to control scientific instrumentation that needed a data acquisition card. Eventually most of the newer product lines moved over to Windows but one that was used in a validated FDA regulated environment stayed on the Mac. Over time supporting that got harder and harder: they managed through the PowerPC to Intel transition but eventually the Macs with PCIe slots went away. I think they looked at putting the PCIe card in a Thunderbolt enclosure. But the bigger problem is guaranteeing supply of a specific computer for a reasonable amount of time. Very difficult to do these days with Macs.

[nullindividual]

> validated FDA regulated environment stayed on the Mac

Given how long it takes to validate in a GxP environment, and the cost, this makes sense.

[adolph]

Sounds like they need a nice Hackintosh for that validated FDA regulation app-OS-HW combo.

[becurious]

Good luck getting that through a regulated company’s Quality Management System or their legal department. Way too much business risk and the last thing you want is a yellow or red flag to an inspector who can stop ship on your product until all the recall and remediation is done.

[philistine]

See Satya Nadella has recently said that Microsoft will now put security above any other value at Microsoft. He specifically even singled out backwards compatibility.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/05/03/prioritizing-sec...

Microsoft is a big boat. It takes a long time to turn if the captain orders it. But the captain has ordered it. I expect the sacrosanct nature of back compat to eventually die. Windows will never turn into the moving target that macOS is, but I expect a lot of old stuff to just stop working, when security concerns dictate they should be removed.