Microsoft's Linux Embrace

Maybe that's part of Microsoft ongoing effort to make users switch from Windows to Linux :)

I suspect that Microsoft doesn't even care anymore.Windows is not at the core of their strategy anymore. With Azure, they are as much of a Linux company as they are a Windows company now, and most of their software runs in a browser now. Windows is just a gateway to their services.If it was easy for them to have their users run Linux instead of Windows and sell Office 365 subscriptions, they would prefer that instead of having to maintain a full OS.

It is about Microsoft being a neutral player in a multiple platform world. Microsoft want people using their tools as it means they are more likely to use their platforms and services. Be it PowerShell on Linux or Bash on Windows or VSCode on macOS they want to make the best tools in the hope that it will push companies/developers towards Azure/SQL/Cloud as that is where the future for MS is.Windows is on life support and they know this. The future isn't about companies bu

Linux (on the desktop) is probably of little or no concern to Microsoft at this point. They've got bigger problems to worry about. If they want to focus on making computers sold with Windows offer the best possible experience it will benefit the most people. Possibly it will make things harder for Linux users but from Microsoft's perspective if the OEM is shipping Windows there's no reason to consider Linux as part of the equation.

This is correct.On the client-side, MS is not worried much about Linux desktop and hence will not invest in office for Linux.On the server-side, Linux is a platform of choice for new projects (I would say Kubernetes and containers but those are based on Linux) and hence windows server moved to a more legacy state.In this case, if Microsoft wants to be relevant for future projects, it must embrace Linux.However, since there is no money in Linux as an OS, Microsoft is in the process of

Windows is trying to swallow linux. That's all there is to it.

It's not enough because there isn't something comparable in Linux. Microsoft will follow their MO of avoiding pissing off users just enough that they don't bother switching, been that way since Vista at least.

My guess - They don't want to depend so much on Microsoft. It's a plan B in case something bad happens in the Windows ecosystem.

It seems like Microsoft has pivoted to be a cloud, services, and dev tools company. They no longer expect revenue growth from Windows. In that context the best strategy is open-source and support everything.... Exactly what they seem to be doing.

That never was a goal of Microsoft. Their goal is to get Microsoft apps, technology, and development toolsets embedded everywhere, and to a large extent, they have already succeeded in that. Projects like .NET Core, SQL Server on Linux, Visual Studio Code, Windows IoT, all have cross-pollinated to the Linux world and have gotten Linux, macOS, and ARM hardware users to adopt Microsoft technologies. All those investments drive usage of other Microsoft services which results in more revenue for Mic