A look at Microsoft's love for Linux
New Love
Open Source means more than just giving out a few pieces of code to an Open Source project; maddog explains.
For months, the technical news media has been telling us how much Microsoft is "Open." They point to announcements from Microsoft about how they are cooperating with The Linux Foundation on putting code into the Linux kernel that will allow Linux hypervisors to support Microsoft virtual environments better. They point to the number of patches they have contributed to the Linux kernel and how they work with Canonical to put "Linux" functionality on top of Windows 10.
Companies that were almost crushed by Microsoft in the early days are now partnering with the Redmond giant. People whom I have known for years and are otherwise well respected in the "Open Source" community take these crumbs of code and crow that Microsoft has seen the light.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Microsoft only has one partner: Microsoft. And nothing demonstrates this more than Microsoft's attempts to restrict the browser for Windows 10 to Edge, because Edge will work better with Windows 10 and be integrated better with Cortana, and Edge will integrate better with the rest of Windows 10 applications, or so they say. This stinks of the browser wars of years ago, spawned by Internet Explorer.
Microsoft's "love for Open Source" did not start with the rise to power of their latest CEO. It started years ago when Microsoft started attending and sponsoring Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) events such as OSCON. Tim O'Reilly, the publisher of many books that Open Source people know and love, would invite Microsoft to his events. Microsoft never reciprocated by inviting FOSS people to their conferences to talk about the value of Free and Open Source, however. That might have caused too many Microsoft customers to question why their favorite vendor was not following Open Source best practices, but rather forcing them to go from one disastrous operating system upgrade to another.
Through the years, many "Open Source" leaders have contacted me and tried to tell me how much money Microsoft was spending in "Open Source" laboratories with people and machines. This did not impress me, because my own company (Digital Equipment Corporation) spent over a billion dollars a year with equipment and engineers to turn out a fine Unix operating system, only to show that their main goal in life was to sell OpenVMS and Windows NT. When you have a lot of money, you can afford to have some dalliances. And, you might even learn a thing or two for your own products, but it does not show an understanding of Open Source.
Openness also has to do with your business tactics, and that is another place where Microsoft really fails. For years, they have been quietly approaching licensees of Android and demanding royalties on patents that they claim are their own inventions. Part of the settlement for these "patent infringements" is that the victim cannot make public which pieces of code that Microsoft claims are infringing. Friends of this practice (and of Microsoft) state that Microsoft has a right to be compensated for their work through the patents. With this point I have no argument. However, one of the traditional balances of patent law is that if some other non-patented way can be determined to do the same thing, the victim of the patent suit should be able to choose that different path. Because Microsoft has never approached the Linux community as a whole, the developers of the Linux kernel (including Android) have no knowledge of which pieces of code would have to be replaced.
Other pundits of Open Source (such as my friend Simon Phipps) have pointed out that Microsoft should join the Open Invention Network (OIN), which allows members to use patents for self-defense or to get patent royalties from closed source companies who do not share the values of Open Source. OIN simply says (and I paraphrase here) "if the code that is violating the patent is part of an open source project, then you cannot sue them or the end user for patent infringement, and they (in turn) cannot sue you for patent infringement on your open source code."
Even if the CEO of Microsoft loves Open Source and secretly uses GNU/Linux in his home office, what really spells love for Open Source is embracing it for your customer's needs and uses. My observation of Microsoft sales and management teams in various countries shows that there is much to be developed in good Open Business Practices.
"Open Source" involves more than just giving out a few pieces of code to an Open Source project or deciding that your closed source product (Microsoft SQL) will sell more copies on top of GNU/Linux than it will just running on your own platforms.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.