Why Windows is the best target development platform

For those of you who don't know, I started programming by making games for Windows, and I've recently returned to developing games for the computer. However, like any developer, I was forced to choose a target platform. So should it be Windows, Mac, or Linux? Maybe Darwin?

The definitive answer, I eventually realized, is Windows.

Like any good game developer, you want your game to reach the largest number of users possible. Unsurprisingly, Windows has the largest user base. However, Linux users now have access to a program called WINE which allows them to run Windows programs on their OS.

So, by developing for Windows, I would actually be developing for Windows and Linux. A quick search on Wikipedia as I write this, tells me that 87.90% percent of computers have Windows installed on them and a whopping 1.06% percent have some form of Linux (however that number seems a little too low -- reminding me why Wikipedia isn't the best place for accurate information). In total, assuming that the percentages only accounted for computers with XP or Vista and distros of Linux with WINE, by developing for Windows my games can reach an audience of 88.96% of people with computers. Indeed, there really is no better target development platform than Windows in that case.

Also, as a final note, Microsoft is promising developers that everything they make/code on XP or Vista will be perfectly compatible with Windows Seven. For those of you who follow the Wii Homebrew scene, you'll be glad to hear that developers who installed the Windows Seven beta on their pcs are reporting that devkitPRO works fine.

To summarize: By developing my new game(s) on and for Windows Vista, I'm developing for the largest market audience possible. Even Linux users will be able to use my programs. My programs will also work on future and past versions of the Windows OS as well.