BitJam, I like your Charlie Brown football description--it could be that indeed. I haven't forgotten: Embrace, Extend, Extinguish. And it will take years, at least, of MS playing well with others before I ever trust them. Yet I think MS has chosen a new target, Google. I think their old nastiness now is aimed at Google over the school and office space and the cloud, and you can toss AWS into the cloud battle as well.
The extend policy toward Linux seems in full view with the github purchase, and using a version of Linux for their IoT. Now the full kernel to attract and keep developers. As mentioned, I expect a full distro purchase from MS next. They probably won't go for "extinguish" but they are likely to embrace the crap out of us before they are through. I don't think they see us as the danger they did in the late 90s-mid 2000s. But I do think they see Google as "the Linux that could eat their lunch" and did with Android, and is making them feel the pain with Chromebooks and web services.
Microsoft is going to ship a full Linux kernel Win10
Re: Microsoft is going to ship a full Linux kernel Win10
Head_on_a_Stick, I hope your optimism pans out. I think MS has learned much from Linux over the years, and may use it ever more to take whatever ground they can gain. They could be a big help to Linux, but don't trust them too much just yet :)
AK-47, Windows 10 has a fatal flaw that will continue to drive users toward Linux. At first it was the idea of forcing Windows 10 down everyone's throat, then the privacy issue, more recently the endless bugs. But now it is the update schedule that leaves more computers behind with every major update with firmware and drivers no longer supported. Much of that is the OEM's fault, but Windows has only 18 months support after every big bi-annual update for computers that can no longer take the big updates. Plus MS stupidly put out devices with 32-64 gb storage, and there is no room for more updates. Lots of still very usable hardware going to be running Linux in the years ahead because Windows left them behind.
AK-47, Windows 10 has a fatal flaw that will continue to drive users toward Linux. At first it was the idea of forcing Windows 10 down everyone's throat, then the privacy issue, more recently the endless bugs. But now it is the update schedule that leaves more computers behind with every major update with firmware and drivers no longer supported. Much of that is the OEM's fault, but Windows has only 18 months support after every big bi-annual update for computers that can no longer take the big updates. Plus MS stupidly put out devices with 32-64 gb storage, and there is no room for more updates. Lots of still very usable hardware going to be running Linux in the years ahead because Windows left them behind.
Last edited by KBD on Fri May 10, 2019 2:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Microsoft is going to ship a full Linux kernel Win10
One Big worry I have about Google is their terminal ADD. They lose interest in stuff faster than my 9 month old granddaughter. Chromebooks are an established hit in schools and for low cost entry into computers. I was thrilled with them when they first came out. But I have seen grumbles across the Internet on message boards and I have the same thoughts. Chromebooks hit a home run with the KISS Principle. Dead simple to use, reliable, low spec requirements, battery life that seems endless. But then they added Android. Now they have added the ability to run some Linux apps. They created a lot of aggravation for themselves. While Android and Crostini for Linux apps sounded awesome, its application has been uneven and not very satisfying and even confusing for users.rs55 wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 1:04 pm Chrome machines are going to natively run Debian going forward. And Google makes great software compared to MS. The way I see it - all these companies manage to get access to whatever user data they can. The issue is - do I get something of value in exchange? With chrome browser/gmail /contacts/keep / Maps etc - that is huge functionality I get from from Google. And it all works and works very well.
On the other hand - what do I get for hassling with windows? Nothing of value. ( well... I am not a gamer so I cant speak to games). Nothing that I cant get from a free linux installation.
I bet chromebooks running Debian are going to be hugely attractive - especially at the low prices for the hardware.
I also think the 5 year EOL support, while it sounds like a long time is not very good. You can buy a 'new Chromebook' off the shelf and find out you have maybe 3-4 years support left on it, and even less on refurbished machines. I know because I've bought 4 Chromebooks and one went out of support a year ago, 3 others next month lose support. I got rid of 1 machine, another was garbage and fell apart. I have two left that are running a ChromeOS substitute, ChromiumOS (CloudReady). 1 will be running full Linux shortly.
I think Google is over-complicating their once simple solution to computing. And every model is different, one gets Android, one gets Crostini, one gets both, another gets neither--often without rhyme or reason.