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Microsoft in another platform adoption move. http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/wind ... -printing/ #justsayno

All they want is your base. http://youtube.com/watch?v=8fvTxv46ano

As I understand it, it's just adding 3D printers as first class entities in the driver stack.
Though it's probaly the case that very few of the smaller manufacturers have the resources to provide a windows driver.

This sounds like a good opportunity for an independent developer to build quite a stable of printers, writing drivers for all of them. Not me, I'm allergic to Windows, but somebody.

Read between the lines:

1. All the majors will drive a file spec that is not readable with a text editor...to provide IP support. Standards committees are next. That's a closed club to only those who pay or luminaries.
2. Smaller players will be forced to choose to support the file spec or suffer a limited audience (like Linux)
3. In a rapidly maturing market, there are only 3, max 5 players capturing 80% of the market. Who will they be?
4. This is a typical platform adoption strategy that has worked very well for big players in the IT world, watch or be a noisy gear!

I am not looking forward to this, and sincerely hope microsoft doesn't succeed in making even a slight nitch in adoption. I feel that the technical skill level and independent culture of the 3d printing community provides a decent opportunity to withstand microsoft.

I don't see them treating this any different than they did with DirectX, which is a great API that I don't deny it's benefits. What I detest is how microsoft uses the propriatary product to directly control or manipulate so many industries, usually in ways that hold back progress to ensure their market control. Yeah yeah it's smart business, but the best smart business concepts (like a monopoly) are often the worst possible scenarios for progress/consumers/etc.