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Confirmed: Microsoft and Canonical Partner To Bring Ubuntu To Windows 10 (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the microsoft-loves-linux dept.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols reports for ZDNet: According to sources at Canonical, Ubuntu Linux's parent company, and Microsoft, you'll soon be able to run Ubuntu on Windows 10. This will be more than just running the Bash shell on Windows 10. After all, thanks to programs such as Cygwin or MSYS utilities, hardcore Unix users have long been able to run the popular Bash command line interface (CLI) on Windows. With this new addition, Ubuntu users will be able to run Ubuntu simultaneously with Windows. This will not be in a virtual machine, but as an integrated part of Windows 10. [...] Microsoft and Canonical will not, however, sources say, be integrating Linux per se into Windows. Instead, Ubuntu will primarily run on a foundation of native Windows libraries. Update: 03/30 16:16 GMT by M : At its developer conference Build 2016, Microsoft on Wednesday confirmed that it is bringing native support for Bash on Windows 10. Scott Hanselman writes: This isn't Bash or Ubuntu running in a VM. This is a real native Bash Linux binary running on Windows itself. It's fast and lightweight and it's the real binaries. This is a genuine Ubuntu image on top of Windows with all the Linux tools I use like awk, sed, grep, vi, etc. It's fast and it's lightweight. The binaries are downloaded by you - using apt-get - just as on Linux, because it is Linux. You can apt-get and download other tools like Ruby, Redis, emacs, and on and on. This is brilliant for developers that use a diverse set of tools like me.

11 of 492 comments (clear)

  1. Ew, no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The only reason I'd ever bother with Ubuntu is to get away from Windows. I don't want them together.

    1. Re:Ew, no by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You forgot the important part. It's The Year of Linux on Windows on the desktop (TM).

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re: Ew, no by jcdr · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Mostly agree. Ubuntu has the advantage of his Debian base and the disadvantage of some bad software architecture decisions. But it's undeniable that Canonical successfully pushed Ubuntu in many area like no others distributions was able to do. As long at Ubuntu stay close enough to Debian, this is fine.

  2. The lack of technical precision in TFS is annoying by LichtSpektren · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So what the hell does "Ubuntu will primarily run on a foundation of native Windows libraries" mean? "Ubuntu" is an OS with the Linux kernel and pre-configured utilities, programs and drivers put on top of that, but TFS is indicating that "Ubuntu" in this case is not including a kernel, utilities, or drivers. Unless this is an extremely mangled, obscure, and moronic way of saying that Windows 10 will be including a Linux compatibility layer sponsored by Ubuntu.

  3. You can by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." - Lt. Col. Carlos A. Keasler

  4. Re:The lack of technical precision in TFS is annoy by tsqr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    you don't need the kernel

    I'm pretty sure that if you don't have the Linux kernel, you don't have Linux at all.

  5. I tried to tell you! by kheldan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I tried to tell you but you didn't listen! Microsoft is getting involved in things like FOSS and Linux so they can subvert it.. just like they're doing here. Why the actual FUCK would you even do what they're offering here instead of just running Ubuntu instead? So you can still be spied on by Microsoft even using some pseudo-Linux OS-on-Microsoft's-leash? This makes ZERO sense.

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:I tried to tell you! by NotInHere · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Microsoft can do so many things to promote open source:

      * not threaten companies that build products basing on linux because of patent infringement

      * support open GL / Vulkan on xbox

      * actually make their office product based on an open standard, and not apply corruption-like strategies for people who use open source competition

      I don't see anything happening. One thing is fortunate however, the browser market is very rough, and Microsoft really has improved with Edge. But most of the "Microsoft loves open source" stuff is just greenwashing.

      This move by microsoft is very smart: I interpret that they want to enable developers to develop cloud applications on windows (instead of on the ubuntu desktop), and then deploy it to ubuntu servers.

      This is the first step. It promotes tools like Microsoft Visual studio, which of course only run on windows. New tools will be only developed for windows of course, and for the "extended" toolset provided by Microsoft, that only runs on Win. The second step will be that microsoft announces a hybrid OS, that's partly windows, partly ubuntu, for the server part. Then, once Microsoft has enough market share, they can cut off the connections to open source. They will maintain some pseudo open source products that require this windows+ubuntu server system to run, and point to it when they say "Microsoft loves open source".

      I don't trust anything coming from this company.

  6. Relevance by Virtucon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can already run most windows apps under Linux, except for Office....

    LibreOffice is getting better and better....
    Linux tools/desktops and Ubuntu are getting better and better....
    Run Ubuntu apps on Windows...

    It's Microsoft trying to stay relevant. If they really wanted to be relevant they'd offer Office on Linux.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
  7. Re:The lack of technical precision in TFS is annoy by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, but they're talking about Ubuntu, not "Linux". Ubuntu can be whatever Canonical wants it to be, but even allowing for that loophole, they certainly can make a Ubuntu that feels like Ubuntu but eschews Linux in favor of another kernel.

    It actually would be relatively easy for them replace Linux with the FreeBSD kernel, for example. Windows is a harder project, but it's do-able.

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  8. Too early for April Fool's. by neurojab · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I suppose that since April Fool's day is two days away that this is not a joke. That said, Canonical has completely lost their collective minds. It started with Unity, then Mir, and now "ubuntu minus Linux". Seriously guys. What the hell IS ubuntu if it is not Linux? Unity for windows? Barf.