Recently, there is an outpouring of speculation about if and when Microsoft might Open Source Windows, and most of these stories are circulating on account of one of Microsoft's top engineers, Mark Russinovich, who helped build Windows. Russinovich understands that Linux powers the Internet, "That's the reality we live in today," he says in support of the fact that Open Source is a norm and not a trendy exception. "It's definitely possible," Russinovich says about Open Sourcing Windows. "It's a new Microsoft." Ever since Russinovich uttered these words, the floodgates of speculationregarding when Microsoft might Open Source Windows continue to grow. To understand the importance of such public support of Open Source from a top Microsoft employee, contrast Russinovich's comments with the 2001 remarks from former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer denouncing Linux as a "cancer" that "attaches itself... to everything it touches.&qu…