Is Windows Vista the open source frontier?

He doesn't ask the question out loud. Instead he offers a developers' readiness kit for producing Vista open source, and links inside Microsoft's developers' site for resources that will help you "Vista-ize" your open source applications.

Given that most Americans use Windows, and will continue to do so over the next several years (at least), the idea of seeking the biggest possible market for an open source application makes some sort of sense.

Until you get to Osagawara's own experience. Neither Mozilla Firefox nor Thunderbird would upgrade with Vista Ultimate, which he's using. The work-around is to get a new installer and proceed as though you have a new installation, but will your cache and mail follow?

Which brings up the ultimate Microsoft question. Can you trust the company not to hose your project with undocumented "features" or sudden changes? You need to answer that question yourself.

So, let's say you were going to launch a new open source application project, right now. Which would you most like it to run on, Windows or Linux?