> Releasing the sources for 32-bit Windows versions even this old may have an adverse effect on Microsoft's market domination.

I disagree that releasing Windows 9x source code would have any impact on MS market domination.

> I doubt Microsoft would ever open-source any NT Windows versions because the current ones are based on the same code

Nowadays releasing something NT like XP may seem crazy. But in 15 years it will be so far away from future Windows, that it won't be that crazy.

> But in 15 years it will be so far away from future Windows, that it won't be that crazy.

It's not like the NT kernel will be going away from current Microsoft products anytime soon.

NT sources leaked, same for 2000. There is also leaked DOS 6 beta. The only thing releasing stuff this old brings is nerd goodwill.

All open-source projects that deal with reimplementing parts of Windows, particularly Wine and ReactOS, consider those leaked sources radioactive and would not accept any patches if there's even a slightest suspicion that the patch author gleaned anything from those sources. Those same sources officially released under an open-source license would change that.

I wouldn’t assume Microsoft execs view increased capabilities to run windows programs in Linux as a bad thing, when they think about the matter at all. They would certainly prefer that such a capability be developed by someone else, so they don’t have to support it.

> I doubt Microsoft would ever open-source any NT Windows versions because the current ones are based on the same code, just with added touchscreen nonsense, adware, and overt contempt for the user.

Initiatives like MinWin and OneCore, secure kernel, device guard,... caused lots of rewrites and moving code around.