There’s an interesting article on arstechnica discussing the issue. I tend to agree with @vkareh in that there are worse companies than MS with the ability to buy it.
Also, MS is spending $7.5B. I can’t really see them dropping that much coin just to ruin it. Corrupt it? Probably, but not in the near future.
Microsoft are playing nice with Linux for one reason and one reason only. Because they have to. When/if they no longer have to, they wont.
In a third-world country like Bangladesh, where I live, most people know only the name of Microsoft when it comes to “what’s an operating system” or “what’s in your computer” or “hey bro set up my computer” or “install Widnows on my machine”. The infrastructure, be it education, job sector or else, everywhere there’s Windows and MS Office. I myself am using Ubuntu MATE on a dual boot Windows( I also have a VM though), because for academic purposes I have to use some software that aren’t available here on Linux( mainly VLSI and electrical simulation software). I don’t have any other machine, so dual-booting is my only option.
So it’s been hard for me, and after graduating I’m certainly deleting the Windows partition, period, end of sentence…
Some friends of mine just heard the name of Ubuntu and told me to install it on their machine, because they have to install it for our graduate research and thesis which requires an open-source application( I forgot the name)…!!
I agree, back to Slackware at that point.
It would be the slacker’s route for me.
Arch for lazy buggers: Manajaro
It fits into the recent development. If we haven’t done already, we will use most services through API and browsers. Microsoft has recognised that operating systems are secondary. In a few years time, there will be no Windows (home user) operating system.
I would rephrase that slightly by suggesting that Microsoft has recognized that API and browser services are going to allow them to resurrect the old thin client model of the early days of networking and reapply it to everyday computing. In turn, allowing Microsoft to take back control of their software in terms who gets to use it and on what terms.
The problem for Microsoft is that the only service most people are using is their OS, and they haven’t much time left to turn that development. If I compare the MS products we used 10 years ago with today, MS hasn’t earned a single penny with us for some time now.
I stopped to think about Microsoft. For me, they’re bad for freedom and open-source.
The day the deal was done, i made like a bunch of developpers, i ran away to GitLab.
Just because i don’t want to caution anything Microsoft do.
They’re evil to me…
Hallo
If Redmond took over Canonical, I myself would be looking at openSuSE 15 Leap with the KDE desktop. Or if I’m good enough… Debian.
Mr. Shuttleworth is supposed to have said that Ubuntu would always be free. I don’t know what he was referring to when he said free, however, if Redmond bought Canonical they could rename Ubuntu. Mr. Shuttleworth did a fine thing for the world with Ubuntu. We all owe him thanks for what he has done and personally financed. I hope the Ubuntu that we know and appreciate will be able to continue into the future without any “drastic” changes. 