Microsoft has its own Linux distribution and, yes, you can download, install and run it. In fact, you may want to do just that.

Ok, so it’s not named MS-Linux or Lindows, but Microsoft now has its very own, honest-to-goodness general-purpose Linux distribution: Common Base Linux, (CBL)-Mariner. And, just like any Linux distro, you can download it and run it yourself. Amazing isn’t it? Why the next thing you know Microsoft will let you run Windows applications on Linux! Oh, wait it has!

Microsoft recently released Visual Studio 15.3 for Windows and Visual Studio 7.1 for Mac with .NET core 2.0. In addition to porting Microsoft Code and SQL Server to Linux, they have ported .NET. Redhat will bundle .NET in their software offerings instead of relying on Mono.

Red Hat adds Microsoft’s .NET Core 2.0 to its Linux and cloud offerings
http://www.zdnet.com/article/red-hat-adds-microsofts-net-core-2-0-to-its-linux-and-cloud-offerings/

The latest version of Microsoft’s open-source .NET Core platform will be available soon across Red Hat’s Linux and open hybrid cloud offerings.

Today, Microsoft further pledges its loyalty to Linux and open source by becoming a platinum member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. If you aren’t familiar, the CNCF is a part of the well-respected Linux Foundation (of which Microsoft is also a member). With the Windows-maker increasingly focusing its efforts on the cloud — and profiting from it — this seems like a match made in heaven. In fact, Dan Kohn, Executive Director of the foundation says, “We are honored to have Microsoft, widely recognized as one of the most important enterprise technology and cloud providers in the world, join CNCF as a platinum member.”

“CNCF is a part of the Linux Foundation, which helps govern for a wide range of cloud-oriented open source projects, such as Kubernetes, Prometheus, OpenTracing, Fluentd, Linkerd, containerd, Helm, gRPC, and many others,”

Microsoft further pledges Linux loyalty by joining Cloud Native Computing Foundation
https://betanews.com/2017/07/26/microsoft-linux-cncf/

Linux is the future, and even closed-source champion Microsoft has gotten onboard. The Windows-maker is not only contributing to many open source projects, but developing software for the Linux desktop, with programs such as Skype. You can even install Linux distributions from the Windows Store nowadays. Hell, the company has even created a version of Microsoft Office that runs on Linux by way of Android! Yes, Google’s mobile operating system is Linux. Android is also what effectively killed the much maligned Windows Phone, so Microsoft clearly has no problem with joining forces with prior “enemies.”

Today, Microsoft further pledges its loyalty to Linux and open source by becoming a platinum member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

Gossman also says, “Open source is a way to scale software development beyond what any single organization can do. It allows vendors, customers, researchers and others to collaborate and share knowledge about problems and solutions, like no other form of development. And I strongly believe the power of open source derives from strong, diverse communities and that we have an obligation to support these communities by participating as code contributors and in the associated foundations and committees. With all that in mind, I look forward to us working with the other CNCF members (most of whom we already know very well) to help make these projects awesome for everyone.”

In November 2016, Microsoft became a platinum member of the Linux Foundation, the primary sponsor of top-drawer Linux talent (including Linus), as well as a leading organizer of Linux conferences and source of Linux news.

Does it matter that Microsoft has a long history of fighting Linux with patent claims? Seems it should.

Fifteen years ago, Steve Ballmer memorably declared Linux was a cancer. Now, Microsoft announced it was joining the Linux Foundation. That’s not a completely unprecedented move, given that Microsoft has been getting steadily chummier with open source software over the last few years. There’s a Linux Bash shell integrated into Windows 10’s Anniversary Update, after all. But joining the organization responsible for maintaining Linux and for funding various open source projects? That’s a true 180 from where the company used to be.

Microsoft also launched a beta of SQL Server for Linux, while Google just joined the .NET Foundation, PC World reports. Microsoft is releasing a version of Visual Studio for the Mac, although this is based on Xamarin, not a straight port of Visual Studio. Samsung has a preview version of Visual Studio for Tizen, which will allow .NET applications to be built for Samsung’s non-Android hardware. If you wanted to blow someone’s mind from 2010, try telling them that Microsoft will help build Linux, Samsung wants VS support for Tizen, and Google has added .NET after spending so much time and effort investing in Java.

Microsoft’s move to embrace Linux is undoubtedly driven by changing macroeconomic conditions around the PC business.

“Microsoft is hitting all the right notes in terms of aligning its developer business with an ecosystem much broader than Windows,” IDC Program Director Al Hilwa told PC World. “Joining the Linux Foundation is a natural progression of this strategy and one that might still generate a double take if it wasn’t for all the actions the company has already taken in terms of supporting Linux in Azure and with SQL Server.”

In March, when Microsoft announced plans to release SQL Server for Linux, Scott Guthrie, EVP of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group, said, “This will enable SQL Server to deliver a consistent data platform across Windows Server and Linux, as well as on-premises and cloud.”

The release of the first public preview of SQL Server for Linux on Wednesday reveals just how consistent that platform is: It’s the Windows version of SQL Server running on the Windows NT kernel as a guest app, more or less.

When Microsoft declared its love for Linux, it appears to have been looking in the mirror.

Microsoft could have ported SQL Server to run as a native Linux application. Instead, it has chosen to use its Drawbridge application sandboxing technology.

SQL Server for Linux runs atop a Drawbridge Windows library OS – a user-mode NT kernel – within a secure container called a picoprocess that communicates with the host Linux operating system through the Drawbridge application binary interface.

In other words, Microsoft’s SQL Server for Linux is really the Windows SQL Server executable with a small Windows 8 kernel glued underneath, all running in a normal Linux process.

Virtualization has helped blur the boundaries between operating systems, a trend that’s been underway for years. Mac users have been able to boot into Windows through Boot Camp or virtualization software like Parallels. Linux users have been able to run Windows apps using Wine.

Containerization has encouraged further levels of abstraction and cross-platform compatibility, even as it distances users from their software. It’s difficult to care much about operating systems when many containers get launched and shut down in less than a minute.

Microsoft is behaving oddly. Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO, said that Linux is cancer. But now, Microsoft shook hands with Linux and Microsoft loves Linux became a hot topic at Microsoft Connect.

Not only Linux, Microsoft has been contributing to the open world significantly these days. Microsoft even has its own Linux distro: Azure Cloud Switch. Are the Microsoft executives on LSD?

Actually, no! The simple answer is that Linux has won. Windows is not even the most popular end user OS; it’s Android. Most servers use Linux or one of the BSDs. 498 out of the 500 best supercomputers run Linux.

But why Microsoft loves Linux?

Microsoft doesn’t; it’s just pretending to. Now that Linux has taken the world by storms, Microsoft was left with two choices:

1. Fight with Linux: They had tried this before and the results are self-explanatory.
2. Shake hands with Linux: This is what they chose. Now that they have shook hands with the GNU world; they are getting support from the open world and they are making decent profits out of it.

Microsoft is a for-profit company; it’s got nothing against Linux, as long as it gets what it wants

What should the Linux committee do?

We should welcome Microsoft whole heartily. Linux is an open source software; more the contributors, the better. Of course, Linux doesn’t need Microsoft, but Microsoft can make Linux better.

2015 was the year Linux and open-source software took over the IT world, but many open-source and proprietary software fans still haven’t figured it out.

Microsoft has approached Linux and open source philosophy for a long time. Far has come of them former CEO Steve Ball Merino talks, under which Linux is a cancer that pollutes everything that it is in contact.

Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5419:microsoft-liittyi-linux-foundationiin&catid=13&Itemid=101