Post by cjm on Nov 22, 2016 7:50:24 GMT
Microsoft just joined the Linux Foundation, but end users won't notice right away
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While I was surprised by the news, it didn’t exactly blow my hair back. Microsoft’s product line has been getting progressively more Linux-friendly over the past couple of years. You can spin up a Linux virtual machine in Microsoft’s Azure platform, just as easily as you can an image of Microsoft’s own IIS. Earlier this year, Microsoft partnered with Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) to create the Windows Subsystem for Linux. In June, someone even got WSL to run Ubuntu’s Unity desktop in Windows 10. Microsoft is planning to release its SQL Server database for Linux as well.
None of that really affects everyday Linux users, but what will make a difference in the short term is the money Microsoft injected into the Linux Foundation. Microsoft joined as a Platinum member, which means that Nadella and company will pony up at least $500,000 for the title, per year. That money can help fund Linux Foundation projects, most of which (like Node.js) aren’t user-facing at all. However, a big recipient of the money will be the Linux kernel, so more resources and developer time can be spent on improving hardware support, security, and performance. Besides the kernel, the most likely consumer-facing project in the Linux Foundation to benefit will be the Tizen mobile operating system that Samsung (also a foundation member) is looking to use on its smartphones in place of Android.
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Microsoft's open source love fest continues as it joins Linux Foundation
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While I was surprised by the news, it didn’t exactly blow my hair back. Microsoft’s product line has been getting progressively more Linux-friendly over the past couple of years. You can spin up a Linux virtual machine in Microsoft’s Azure platform, just as easily as you can an image of Microsoft’s own IIS. Earlier this year, Microsoft partnered with Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) to create the Windows Subsystem for Linux. In June, someone even got WSL to run Ubuntu’s Unity desktop in Windows 10. Microsoft is planning to release its SQL Server database for Linux as well.
None of that really affects everyday Linux users, but what will make a difference in the short term is the money Microsoft injected into the Linux Foundation. Microsoft joined as a Platinum member, which means that Nadella and company will pony up at least $500,000 for the title, per year. That money can help fund Linux Foundation projects, most of which (like Node.js) aren’t user-facing at all. However, a big recipient of the money will be the Linux kernel, so more resources and developer time can be spent on improving hardware support, security, and performance. Besides the kernel, the most likely consumer-facing project in the Linux Foundation to benefit will be the Tizen mobile operating system that Samsung (also a foundation member) is looking to use on its smartphones in place of Android.
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Microsoft's open source love fest continues as it joins Linux Foundation