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Microsoft Exec Urges Linux Developers To Try Windows 10 (softpedia.com)

Posted by msmash on from the Microsoft-loves-Linux dept.

An anonymous reader shares a Softpedia article: Microsoft has finally acknowledged the potential that the open-source world in general, and Linux in particular, boasts, so the company is exploring its options to expand in this area with every occasion. Most recently, an episode posted on Channel 9 and entitled "Improvements to Bash on Windows and the Windows Console" with senior program manager Rich Turner calls for Linux developers to give up on their platforms for Windows 10. "Fire up a Windows 10 Insiders' build instance and run your code, run your tools, host your website on Apache, access your MySQL database from your Java code," he explained. Turner went on to point out that the Windows subsystem for Linux is there to provide developers with all the necessary tools to code just like they'd do it on Linux, all without losing the advantages of Windows 10. "Whatever it is that you normally do on Linux to build an application: whether it's in Go, in Erlang, in C, whatever you use, please, give it a try on Bash WSL, and importantly file bugs on us. It really makes our life a lot easier and helps us build a product that we can all use and be far more productive with, he continued. Editor's note: The original title from Softpedia was edited because it was misleading. A Microsoft employee doesn't represent the entire company (at least in this instant he wasn't speaking for the company), and at no point has he asked "all Linux developers" to "give up" on Linux.

16 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. Why? by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why the fuck would any Linux developer want to do this? It's not as if Windows 10 offers any significant, or even real, architectural advantage, and it's not like Linux doesn't have plenty of its own development tools. So far as I can tell, Windows 10 has absolutely no developer advantages at all, and in fact, simply represents a pointless extra layer for any developer working on Linux.

    You know, I almost preferred the Gates-Ballmer Microsoft, because it was brilliantly maniacal. The new Microsoft is just a whining pathetic pack of halfwits who can't really even decide what direction their company should go. Sure, they may be more open source friendly, but so the fuck what?

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    1. Re: Why? by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you don't want wibdows 10 don't use it. No one is holding a gun to your head.

      Unless no laptop makers are willing to sell me a laptop in a particular form factor with anything other than Windows preinstalled. System76, for instance, lacks anything smaller than 14 inches (source).

    2. Re: Why? by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sure they can't. The OOXML format is a good example of how Microsoft can use supposedly open processes to push through a proprietary system. I have little faith in Microsoft at the best of times, but of late, with the awful half-assedness of Windows 10 (not to mention its near constant attempts to sell me shit because I didn't invest in the enterprise edition), I'm not even sure if I care what Microsoft's intentions are, because at this point, I think incompetence has replaced malice.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    3. Re: Why? by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Then please, for the love of god, bring back a Desktop GUI to the Desktop OS.

      I'd actually prefer it to look like Windows NT/2000/"Classic". That has been, and forever will be, my preferred "working GUI". Right now my Cinnamon setup more or less looks just like it. It's how I make MATE and XFCE look as well.

      Stop trying to make me and my brain work like a tablet interface. (That goes for you too Ubuntu Unity)

    4. Re:Why? by dhuv · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I agree with you 100%. There really needs to be a serious advantage for people to even consider switching to Windows.

      If Microsoft really wants to help the Linux crowd, contribute to Wine. :)

      This is really pathetic.

    5. Re:Why? by wasted · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Why?

      Masochism?

  2. Uh... sure. How much is worth to you? by mark-t · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because seriously, there is positively no way I will ever put Windows on any computer that I ever own unless I am being paid what I think my time is worth for the inconvenience.

    So since it's clearly not worth your time to pay me to use it, it's not worth mine to install it.

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  3. Why on earth by nightfire-unique · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Why on earth would we do that? Windows is closed-source proprietary software.

    GPL a good hunk of the codebase and we'll talk. Until then, we've got our own problems to solve.

    --
    A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
  4. It's not how well the OS operates. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    During development of any project, configuration and the ability to own the software environment often comes into play. It really comes down to, I'd rather not have them in my system changing things without my permission.

  5. No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Remove the forced updates and spyware first.

  6. Re:Incredibly misleading by mark-t · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What if you don't like Ubuntu?

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  7. Advantages of Windows? For development? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Turner went on to point out that the Windows subsystem for Linux is there to provide developers with all the necessary tools to code just like they'd do it on Linux, all without losing the advantages of Windows 10"

    lol, wut?

    There has never been a time developing on Linux where I thought, "gee, I wish I were on Windows right now." When I'm on Windows, I hate it. Everything is so tedious on Windows, and everything from the registry to using escape characters for path delimiters just makes no sense.

  8. Re:Desktop Windows has more users than X11/Linux by fisted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The modern "desktop" is touch based running on your phone.

    But what device do you use to do actual work then?

    --
    CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
  9. Certainly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Right after Microsoft releases Office for Linux.

  10. Re:Incredibly misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So if you refuse to work for Microsoft for free, you have no right to complain that they don't hire testers?

  11. And the value proposition is what, exactly? by dskoll · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So let me get this straight. I should switch from a free development environment, that I can install on as many machines as I want, that doesn't feed me ads, that doesn't phone home with my information, that doesn't auto-update unless I configure it to and that ships with source code, to a system that costs money, costs more money to install on multiple machines, feeds me ads, phone home with my information, auto-updates by default and is closed-source?

    What's the value proposition here, again?