“He who fights with Windows should see to it that he himself does not become Windows. And when you gaze long into ntoskrnl, ntoskrnl also gazes into you.”

Seriously, is it really a victory if you have to adopt the architecture of your sworn enemy?

Microsoft and Windows were never the enemy.

To quote Linus Torvalds from 1997: "I don't try to be a threat to Microsoft, mainly because I don't really see MS as competition. Especially not Windows - the goals of Linux and Windows are simply so different."

What is the purpose of achieving victory? Is it to produce the software that works better or is it to stick your fingers in your ears and lalala the loudest?

Windows copied futexes from Linux first, anyway.

Not really, in the drunken happiness to have games, Linux users keep forgetting those are games developed on game studios that the only place there are GNU/Linux installations running are their MMO servers.

It is no different from arguing how Linux is getting better GameCube games with Dolphin.

Also Valve is only as good as its current management is still around, eventually like any other company time will pass, and new warm bodies will take other decisions.

What you care more about?

technical details or real-world outcomes?

I mean the NT kernel was never really the enemy, it was the company behind it.