Windows vs Linux
What exactly would your thoughts be if I told you that Microsoft contributed 20, 000 lines of code towards the Linux Kernel? Mine would be Microsoft are peppering Linux for a purchase.
Don’t worry Linux is not going to be a Microsoft product anytime soon, allow me to explain what has happened. The code Microsoft is releasing isn’t to help Linux compete better with Microsoft. The drivers are really geared at making Windows a better host for Linux.
“The Linux device drivers we are releasing are designed so Linux can run in enlightened mode, giving it the same optimized synthetic devices as a Windows virtual machine running on top of Hyper-V,” Tom Hanrahan, director of Microsoft’s Open Source Technology Center, said in a statement. “Without this driver code, Linux can run on top of Windows, but without the same high performance levels.”
Microsoft will be releasing three drivers for Linux licensed under the GPL that governs Linux.
Microsoft has released open-source code in the past, but licenses other than the GPL have been favoured by Microsoft. That said, the GPL is the way into the Linux kernel and Microsoft wants this code in Linux.
Ok, so it seems the reason Microsoft added code to Linux is just to make their hosting environments run Linux better. I can’t help but feel there has to be something more to this? Why add code to your oppositions OS?
Is this a foot in the door for Microsoft to try and obtain Linux?
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“Ok, so it seems the reason Microsoft added code to Linux is just to make their hosting environments run Linux better.”
That doesn’t make sense. No one in their right mind would run Linux on top of Windows in any hosting environment whatsoever. Is there maybe a link to the original story?
I think what was meant by it was when you are running a Linux environment virtually on a windows machine. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would actually create an actual hosting environment on a Windows machine through Linux running virtually on top of it.
It is probably for development situations when you are developing an app for Linux. This patch would just allow Linux to operate better whilst running in a virtual environment!
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The comment was made on July 22, 2009 at 9:21 am
Very interesting. You have to ask yourself why don’t you. Linux running atop Windows. Not many people I know do that. Maybe to sabotage Linux, but the Linux gurus would surely see that coming. Maybe they are trying to test something. Maybe they have something Linux-able in the wings. Who knows? It’s microsoft