Suddenly, after years of mistrust, corporate Linux is welcoming Microsoft in to its midst. Almost overnight, executives from Jim Zemlin of The Linux Foundation down have lined up at the microphone to explain how the lines between proprietary and free software are blurring, and how Microsoft has had a sincere change of heart.
Nor is the evidence lacking for this position. Since at least 2005, Microsoft has been sending employees to Linux conferences and sponsoring open source events. It has contributed to the kernel, released its .Net code, added support for major distributions to Azure Cloud, collaborated with Canonical Software to bring the BASH shell and Ubuntu to Windows, and countless other things as well.
Yet these events can equally well — if not better — be interpreted as Microsoft simply facing up to the market, and making changes to make its own products more appealing. So why does corporate Linux so consistently insist that such events mark the start of a new era of cooperation?