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Interesting hypothesis... but if I'm a Tivo developer and I had my choice of free *old* windows code and free *new* linux code (and with linux you have a pretty much guaranteed upgrade /migration path for kernel upgrades, security patches etc.) why would I choose Win95?

IOW, why would someone choose to be frozen in 1995 instead of starting in 2001 and whatever with every prospect of moving forward as technology improves?

I'm not saying there isn't a good reason, I just can't see what it would be.

"but if I'm a Tivo developer and I had my choice of free *old* windows code and free *new* linux code ... why would I choose Win95?"

Because as a professional, profit-oriented firm, you want to leverage existing Windows game and utilities code libraries onto every family's high-definition big-screen TV in every den in America.

Think: Doom, Quake, Age of Empires, and every other old game that still has followers.

...And this doesn't mean that *your* firm puts those games onto TiVo...it simply means that because you selected the right OS, that you get to benefit by association, since those games *already* run on Windows.

As a 3rd party development shop, you want to be on the hot new platform. Well, having popular existing games run on your new platform gives you a substantial head start towards that goal.

That's why you want to go with Windows; not because it may or may not be technically superior, but because the better games already run on it.

This goes back to BetaMax versus VHS: BetaMax was technically superior in picture quality...didn't matter...VHS had more hot movies...so everybody wanted VHS...for the content, not for the superior technology.

Because they're stuck with Linux, TiVo developers have to develop for Java right now. For gaming, that's less than ideal.

Had TiVo been able to go with a free Windows 95 OS instead of Linux, then you'd have Age of Empires, Doom, Quake, and most other MicroSoft compatible games on TiVo...as well as very mature, hip code libraries with which to develop your newer games.

So even though TiVo has the right concept and even though it has taken over millions of home TV screens, going the Linux route was less than ideal.

Nonetheless, that's still the wave of the future if MicroSoft refuses to play in the consumer products arena (or pretends that the revolution isn't there...as MS did at the beginning of the Internet revolution).

We've been down this road before, after all.
About the HME Developer Challenge

HME is the code name for TiVo's powerful, open platform. HME allows developers to build exciting, new applications for broadband-connected TiVo Series2 using the Java™ programming language. Starting today, TiVo invites the developer community to download the HME SDK and get started with their own creative development. And to celebrate, we're sponsoring a contest called the TiVo Developer Challenge. Winners will be announced at the 2005 JavaOne conference in San Francisco.

Make sure to read the contest rules and submissions guidelines, and submit your app by May 1, 2005. Prizes will be awarded for several categories described below.

HME applications run on home PC’s or remote servers hosted by TiVo. At this time, HME applications cannot control any of the TiVo DVR’s scheduling, recording, or video playback capabilities.
Developers use the HME software developer kit (SDK) to create these applications. The SDK is released under the Common Public License (CPL).
Currently, HME is an early-access developer release, and is not available to all TiVo subscribers