Redmond Jumps into Linux
In one of the more stunning announcements in some time, Microsoft has announced that it’s actually going to contribute code (a paltry 20,000 lines, but it’s a start) to Linux via a GPL (GNU Public License) scheme. I’m still reeling from this, and I suspect many others in the industry are as well.
This is Microsoft…the same company that once called the GPL “un-American” and conducted massive efforts to label Linux as an unstable, unready OS suitable only for hackers. It’s also the company that paid SCO a large “indemnification” sum during the heyday of SCO’s lawsuit against IBM over allegations of code theft. The latter was widely seen as an attempt to bolster SCO’s claims while providing the cash-poor company with sorely needed funding.
I, for one, remember well how Microsoft attacked Linux early on. There were the “1998 Halloween memos attacking Linux, CEO Steve Ballmer calling the open source operating system a cancer in 2001 and Microsoft’s claim Linux and open source violates 235 of its patents.”
Now, Redmond is supporting Linux. My, how times have changed. Many Linux proponents were stunned by the news, but are also very happy because it provides more traction for Linux to move into current Windows-only environments. “Obviously we are tickled about it,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. “Hell has frozen over, the seas have parted,” he said with a chuckle.
The code being released is kernel-level material that provides support for virtualization under Microsoft’s “Linux Device Driver for Virtualization.” According to the article, “the drivers, once added to the Linux kernel, will provide the hooks for any distribution of Linux to run on Windows Server 2008 and its Hyper-V hypervisor technology.” Virtualization proponents and developers are probably overjoyed.
Are we seeing a newer, more open Microsoft? Possibly. But there’s certainly no egalitarian spirit involved. This is all about business, and Redmond wants to hold onto its piece of the pie.