Putting a bad API on a Good OS

Kelly McNeill writes “Is implementing a bad API (Win32) on a good operating system (Linux) a bad idea – or a good one? Is having the Win32 API (Application Programming Interface) available on Linux a good thing? Perhaps in 10 years this will no longer be an issue, but right now the answer is “you bet.” Enough has already been written about the very real problem of getting ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) to port their popular apps to Linux. To deny that this is a problem is to deny that the Windows monopoly exists. For example, the financial barrier to doing a complete re-write of a commercial app, e.g. Quicken, to Linux is simply daunting. Having the Win32 API implemented on Linux would effectively eliminate that barrier.”