15 years after ex-CEO Steve Ballmer called Linux a ‘cancer,’ Microsoft joins the Linux Foundation

Nearly a decade-and-a-half ago, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer famously referred to Linux as a “cancer.” Now, the Ballmer-less company has completely flipped its stance, and has begun to work with its former rival, even going so far as to officially join the Linux foundation.

The Linux Foundation is an organization responsible for maintaining Linux and funding numerous open-source projects. For those who follow Microsoft a bit more closely, the company’s decision probably doesn’t come as too much of a surprise — Microsoft and Linux have warmed up to one another in recent years, especially when it comes to open-source hardware, so much so that there is now a Linux Bash shell baked into Windows 10’s anniversary update. 

Along with joining the Foundation, Microsoft has also launched a beta of SQL Server for Linux. These two moves have less to do with taking advantage of the open-source movement and more to do with the company addressing the harsh reality that is the ever-shifting macroeconomics tied to the PC-business industry. Microsoft was once the dominant server and consumer operating system provider and, from its position, had little interest in cooperating with other companies or helping out with interoperability. Since then, the mobile market has exploded and Microsoft made a series of poor decisions that led to it falling behind the competition and, eventually, completely out of the game.

Stuck in a corner, the company had little choice but to shift its focus to seek different types of collaboration and cross-platform support. Microsoft has since built products that work seamlessly across Linux and Windows, which has allowed it to remain relevant in the data center and server markets.

“Microsoft is hitting all the right notes in terms of aligning its developer business with an ecosystem much broader than Windows,” said IDC Program Director Al Hilwa in an interview with PC World. “Joining the Linux Foundation is a natural progression of this strategy and one that might still generate a double take if it wasn’t for all the actions the company has already taken in terms of supporting Linux in Azure and with SQL Server.”

In terms of timing, Microsoft plans to have the SQL Server available on Linux by the middle of 2017. As far as releasing any suite of consumer-friendly compatible apps, there’s no definite plan in place… yet.

Via ExtremeTech