Re: MS-Windows build broken in Fmake_network_process

[David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org>]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

>     If they run a 15 year old trashy OS, do they really demand the latest
>     and greatest Emacs? (which is a very fat application for such machines)
>
> Our decision has nothing to do with their "demands" -- and I doubt
> they ever tried to make any "demands" on us.
>
> If they would rather run the latest Emacs, then making the latest
> Emacs run on their platform is a nice thing to do.
>
> However, it is not a high priority for us, because supporting any
> version of Windows is not a high priority for us.  We have no
> commitment to support Windows 9, or Windows 7, or any version of
> Windows.  People work on this if they want to do it, and they can
> choose which platforms to support.

Starting with Windows XP, Microsoft reserves the right to remotely
install software on your computer (including DRM), without
recompensation should they destroy your installation.  Also starting
with Windows XP, your system installation is rendered inoperative if you
move it to another computer, such as after hardware failure.  Basically,
Microsoft did a lot to promote "plug&play", then made sure that you
can't reap the benefits.

For that reason, people with some interest in the rights to their own
computer may keep an older Windows installation around for software that
can't run on free platforms.  Usually off-net since Microsoft does no
security updates to those versions.

Since you can't acquire any of those old Windows versions anymore, it is
more or less chance which version you kept around.  There is more or
less a progression in the extensiveness with which the Microsoft EULA
forces you to abandon your rights and your own hardware to their whim.
So with quite a number of versions, people might say "this is where I
draw the line with regard how much I want my personal rights be trampled
on".

It probably does not mean much with regard for supporting Emacs,
however: I don't think that people use older Windows versions except for
isolated applications.

-- 
David Kastrup