6 signs that Microsoft really loves Linux

In recent years, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has always caused people to question whether Microsoft really likes Linux. As a company, the hate story here is of course not the personal feelings of anyone but in the business strategy, the vision of the boatman. But over the past few years, we've seen Microsoft take Linux in many ways.

Microsoft released its own Linux distribution

Azure Sphere is the ARM kernel operating system that Microsoft uses to target IoT devices. Instead of creating Windows, Microsoft chose Linux. Not only that, it is also mostly open source, offering zero license fees to partners like MediaTek, Qualcomm or Toshiba.

Why?

The answer is that they are competing with Amazon's similar product, that they can make more money through Azure service than selling a monopoly product at a high price. They also want to attract developers familiar with open source technology.

1. For the first time, Microsoft developed a customized and integrated Linux version of its product after 45 years
2. Amazon released Linux 2 - an attempt to change the game

Microsoft put the Linux kernel on the Windows Store

In 2017, the Linux distribution is available on Microsoft Store. Windows users can download Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE versions for use without reinstalling or using a virtual machine.

1. Download Ubuntu right in Windows Store only brothers
2. Kali Linux is available on the Windows Store but is flagged by Windows Defender
3. Microsoft released a tool to run any version of Linux on Windows 10

These distributions run on Windows Subsystem for Linux. Technically you won't be able to get the full Linux experience but still have system tools in the Linux shell. If you know how, you can download the full Linux desktop version within Windows.

1. Windows Subsystem for Linux is about to appear on Windows Server
2. Running Linux on Windows 10 does not require a virtual machine, here are 18 things you should know

Why?

Many developers and web designers believe that Linux and macOS have better software and website creation tools. Microsoft also does not want to continue to lose potential customers. Many people like Windows often use machines running other OSs, such as servers. That's a way for Microsoft to fix both problems.

Microsoft designed software for Linux

Skype is available for Linux users, download and experience

The Skype version for Linux has always been neglected, and Microsoft finally launched last year. There is also Visual Studio Code, an integrated desktop environment. And even if the original Microsoft Office version on Linux is not available, you can use Office 365 on the browser.

6 signs that Microsoft really loves Linux Picture 1
Skype is available for Linux users

The number is not much, but over time it will probably last.

Why?

Microsoft is still associated with Windows OS but their profits also come from services like Office or Azure. Nadella CEO said that 1/5 OS on Azure is running Linux. It's also time for Microsoft to support other OSs or limit the reach of its products.

Microsoft contributed to the Linux Kernel

In the open source world, code is completely free, anyone can use, edit, share. Many software are only offered so, no one is forced to fix errors or fix when there are problems. Even the Linux kernel (Linux kernel), an element in the very important background of the OS, is the same.

If you find bugs or add new features, it's best to reprogram yourself. That's what Microsoft still does.

Learn about the Linux Kernel and their main functions

Why?

Microsoft's contributions are often in the form of drivers for Linux to integrate smoothly with their technology. In 2011, Microsoft topped the top 5 contributors to Linux 3.0, with the code running well with the Hyper-V-based virtual system (a virtualization tool alternative on Linux kernel). Microsoft drivers contain tens of thousands of lines of code, making them among the top 17 contributors in 2012.

Microsoft is a member of the Linux Foundation

In 2016, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation at the diamond membership level, one of the members who spent the most money. Google, the owner of Android and Chrome OS is based on Linux, just a silver member. Red Hat, the most popular open source company, is similar.

Why?

Like many other software developers, Microsoft takes advantage of many of its open source projects. Investing in the Linux Foundation is a way for them to support these projects. The name on top also gives them many reputations. It is the software developers, who are interested in who are members of the Linux Foundation, who are potential employees that Microsoft wants to draw attention to.

Microsoft developers make videos related to Linux

Channel 9 in the United States broadcasts 'developer videos coming from Microsoft product and service employees'. Themes are diverse, from programming, artificial intelligence to server management, community building .

Why?

Linux is very powerful on the web. If you are an IT administrator or web developer, you still have to interact with Linux while using Windows 10. Linux is behind many servers and cloud-related technologies.

Microsoft and open source: the relationship goes far

Microsoft has often attended, or sponsored many open source conferences, such as the O'Reily Open Source Convention (OSCON), Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE), Open Source Summit, Red Hat Summit, LinuxFest, All Things Open .

They have a site specializing in open source software https://open.microsoft.com/ . In the last few years, they have also released FreeBSD for their own Azure, released as open source code such as .NET, Xamarin SDK and Live Writer blogging tool. They support Google's Kubernetes development and Docker packaging formats instead of self-creating .

See more:

1. Linux operating system: A strange development path
2. Linux - Journey from a fun to software that dominates the world
3. 13 lightweight Linux distributions bring new life to old computers