There may be a lot of different community Linux distributions being used, but when it comes to paid, commercial Linux, it’s most frequently Red Hat. Microsoft may find that users are fine to use CentOS on the Azure cloud but will still go to Red Hat and RHEL if and when they are seeking support.
Just when you thought it couldn’t top itself — having contributed Linux kernel code under the GPL, broadly supported Linux alongside Windows with its systems management and other software, and spun off a new subsidiary dedicated to openness, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) showed yet more Linux and open source love recently, adding an impressive Linux lineup to supported software on its Azure cloud.
However, there’s one major Linux player that’s sort of getting left out of the lovefest. It’s enterprise Linux leader Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) and its Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which has to sit by while other distributions, including RHEL community clone CentOS and market competitors SUSE and Ubuntu, get first-class treatment in Microsoft’s Azure cloud.