Microsoft Further Pledges Linux Loyalty, Joins Cloud Native Computing Foundation (betanews.com)

BrianFagioli quotes BetaNews: Today, Microsoft further pledges its loyalty to Linux and open source by becoming a platinum member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. If you aren't familiar, the CNCF is a part of the well-respected Linux Foundation (of which Microsoft is also a member). With the Windows-maker increasingly focusing its efforts on the cloud -- and profiting from it -- this seems like a match made in heaven. In fact, Dan Kohn, Executive Director of the foundation says, "We are honored to have Microsoft, widely recognized as one of the most important enterprise technology and cloud providers in the world, join CNCF as a platinum member."

"CNCF is a part of the Linux Foundation, which helps govern for a wide range of cloud-oriented open source projects, such as Kubernetes, Prometheus, OpenTracing, Fluentd, Linkerd, containerd, Helm, gRPC, and many others," says John Gossman Azure Architect, Microsoft. "Since we joined the Linux Foundation last year, and now have decided to expand that relationship to CNCF membership as a natural next step to invest in open source communities and code at multiple levels, especially in the area of containers."
The announcement notes that Microsoft has already been contributing code to the Kubernetes project, "as well as running Kubernetes as part of the Azure Container Service."

Comments

Re:Must feel great to be a long-time Linux support

[Zero__Kelvin]

It does actually. What you just described is that Linux keeps getting better, and even Microsoft realized that they have no chance of beating it anywhere but in the homes of the clueless.

But still applying the patents FUD

[Fudoka]

Until Micro$oft stops pretending that Linux (and therefore Android) are using their patents or are at least willing to say just which patents these are it's just more Micro$soft bullsh*t. When words and actions disagree, believe the actions.

MS still has about 40 years of make-up work to do

[Anonymous Coward]

"Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" was a real sentiment for so long within Microsoft. I can still remember the late 80s and early 90s when their tactics were to "buy and put on a shelf" or "litigate out of existence" so many companies and products that we would still love to see today. The do not have my heart. They do not have my mind. And I'm not buying a Windows license for a third-tier hypervisor or for a platform to run my free, open-source, well-built, stable operating system on. The Ballmer days were a shit show of antipathy of and to everything else in the tech world, to every product or company that *might* compete with them. From screwing with Tobi Oetiker and the Samba Team to bungling every smart phone they've ever touched Microsoft has constantly been a dark force in a world potentially filled with infinite light. And let us not forget the SCO proxy war against Linux, which they funded. They are a collection of borderline sociopaths that built their wealth on a half-finished, insecure operating system that required constant updating, most of which was "for pay." Today their underlying OS changes very little, very slowly, because they simply rearrange Userland (including more eye candy) and call that "new and improved" then charge for that. Then the underlying problems remain unresolved, waiting for yet another release. That Microsoft takes a keen interest in Linux and BSD scares the shit out of me for the future of both Linux and BSD. They are not to be trusted in their motives or means. Perhaps that will change in another 40 years. Perhaps not. But for the time being, keep your Microsoft out of my Linux and BSDs. No good can come from trusting them.

Re:Buying them one donation at a time

[Anonymous Coward]

Because their pattern of behavior says otherwise. Do you let a career criminal, who has been convicted and incarcerated several times, out of prison just on his word that he's 'reformed' and 'wants to be a good citizen'? No. They have to prove, over years or even decades, that they are sincere and can be trusted. Look at the dirty shit that Microsoft has done with the Windows 10 rollout: Forcing it on people with Windows 7 whether they asked for it or not. Taking away people's right to choose what is and is not updated, essentially removing their right of ownership of their own hardware. Insering ads into things that should never have ads. LYING through their teeth about 'Windows 10 adoption' when at least HALF of it was without anyones express permission to install it. They have made it amply clear that they want to dominate the market, and have a long past history of dirty dealing with consumers; now we're supposed to trust that they don't want to subvert or destroy their only competitors in any way they can? Go fuck yourself, Microsoft shill. You're so goddamned obvious that it's laughable.

Corporatization

[jmccue]

Well I am not concerned about Microsoft pledges, the big worry is the Corporatization of Open of Free software. There are hundreds of examples of that happening and easy enough to find.

Already we see no push back on proprietary blobs/firmware. I almost would like to see this as a requirement: "If you do not support Open Firmware, you cannot have any decision input on the direction of Linux" or any related project.

Re:Buying them one donation at a time

[MightyMartian]

"Mistakes" is putting it lightly. Microsoft actively attempted to destroy Linux at one point (via SCO's lawsuit). Yes, now it has been forced to play nice, and while I'm not fanatically anti-MS, I see no reason to trust them. They're only playing nice right now because Android has utterly fucked over their market dominance in the consumer computing world.

And while Google and Apple have done their share of nasty or stupid things, the only other company I can think of that rises to MS's level of assholery is Oracle.

Loyalty?

[sqorbit]

Does this title really claim that Microsoft is showing loyalty to Linux? Microsoft is battling for cloud dominance just like every cloud vendor. They are joining because it makes business sense, not to show any loyalty to anything Linux related. It's quite a jump to assume that Microsoft is pledging loyalty to a competing product simply by making a business move.