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Meet Microsoft, the Linux Developer

By Anders Bylund | More Articles
July 21, 2009 | Comments (4)

With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. And so it is that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  ) has submitted a big chunk of code to the open-sourced Linux kernel.

When compiled, the 20,000 lines of fresh code power Microsoft's Linux Integration Components, a toolkit that has been available for some time. The programs help Linux operating systems run faster and smoother inside Mr. Softy's virtual server environments. The fact that compiled modules have been available to do this job for months doesn't in any way lessen one simple and powerful takeaway from this announcement:

Microsoft takes Linux seriously. I mean, really seriously.

The cross-licensing agreement with Linux vendor Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL  ) a couple of years ago was an early indicator. The company now also works with open-source software leader Red Hat (NYSE: RHT  ) when it has to, rather than trying to beat the cheeky upstart to a pulp. But in a major turn from what we’ve come to expect from the Redmond leviathan, Microsoft is releasing the code GPLv2 license. In doing so, it acknowledges that the GPL license is valid, proper, and probably enforceable if tested in a court of law.

The Linux operating environment, and much of its components, is built on the legal underpinnings of the GNU Public License framework, which allows anyone to change the licensed code as long as the changes are published to the world.

Microsoft has taken this monumental step to bolster its chances of winning another high-profile rivalry. Virtualization leader VMware (NYSE: VMW  ) has been offering this kind of community-friendly code support for ages, and the ability to modify and improve these vital tools is an important consideration when a large potential client is picking its virtualization platform of choice.

This is far from the first time a massive corporation has endorsed Linux (however reluctantly). International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM  ) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG  ) are well-known contributors to the Linux code base, and Google runs its search queries on thousands of interconnected Linux machines. Oh, and Red Hat will join the prestigious S&P 500 list this week when CIT Group (NYSE: CIT  ) steps down. It's just that Mr. Softy is the traditional enemy of everything the Linux and open-source communities stand for, so this is a very big deal.

The penguins are invading Redmond. What's next -- full source code for Windows 7?

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Fool contributor Anders Bylund owns shares in Google, but he holds no other position in any of the companies discussed here. He doesn't really believe in open-source Windows, but one can always dream. You can check out Anders' holdings or a concise bio if you like, and The Motley Fool is investors writing for investors.


Comments from our Foolish Readers

Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the Report this Comment Report this Comment icon found on every comment.

  • Report this Comment On July 21, 2009, at 3:44 PM, lawman508 wrote:

    I'm not sure what the reference to 'pigs flying' has to do with the article.

    I guess you are suggesting that Microsoft is the pig.

    That's fine - but how can I take you seriously as a objective journalist when you are so obvious bias against a particular company

  • Report this Comment On July 21, 2009, at 3:54 PM, TMFRhino wrote:

    Lawman,

    He's alluding to the phrase "when pigs fly", as in many people thought Microsoft would develop for Linux "when pigs fly". The reference has nothing to do with Microsoft being a pig. Sorry if that was vague.

    Foolish best,

    Eric

  • Report this Comment On July 24, 2009, at 12:26 PM, sixelk wrote:

    I'm afraid it's a sad day for Linux when MSFT gets involved in it. They have proven over and over again that they can not be all things to all people and instead of making a product that actually works, still try.

  • Report this Comment On July 25, 2009, at 1:00 PM, penguinistagnu wrote:

    We knew Microsoft took GNU/Linux seriously when Ballmer called it a virus. As for their submitting code under the GPL, pigs did fly. Just this once. This wasn't some capitulation. Nor was it a move to "reach out". Those of us who know the kind of predator that the convicted monopolist is, knew not to wet ourselves over their submitting code under the GPL. Given enough time, we knew the real motive(s) would reveal themselves. We just didn't expect it would happen so soon. As is being reported via several news tech sites now, Microsoft got caught using GPL'd code in their hyper-v virtualization application. This (being caught) turned out to be a disaster for MS. They recognize that virtualization is the future. And their virtualization app helps to run Linux kernels/apps as guests on windows hosts (not the other way around, windows guests on linux hosts). So it is critical for their plans to keep windows as the host OS for any virtualization of the future. The fact that MS was using GPL'd code in their virtualization app makes the entire app GPL under that license, just the "virus" that MS was trying to avoid. They were found out, and it was someone outside MS who notified them. Their choice was to fight the GPL in court (something they don't want to do, validate the GPL license in a US court), or throw in the towel, contribute the code and hope others adopt the code so that their app still has some chance of performing it's intended purpose, helping to maintain MS as the host OS in virtualized environments. And spin, spin, spin. It seems that a lot of reporters bought the spin. Whether we'll see a correction by those gullible reporters...

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