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

Buying them one donation at a time

[Anonymous Coward]

The rich often make huge contributions to organizations like hospitals and universities. The unspoken understanding is that these 'donations' are for 'future considerations'; at some point in the future, they will 'ask' for special treatment of some kind: preferential medical treatment, or admission to the school for their kid, whether the kid is up to snuff or not.

So it is with Microsoft and Linux, but more sinister: As I keep telling you all, Microsoft would like nothing better than to destroy Linux and any other 'competing' operating system. Short of that, the annexation and subversion of Linux as a whole is an acceptable alternative to them. Insinuating themselves into the Linux community, with moves like expensive 'memberships' in Linux-oriented organzations, is a move in that direction. When they have bought enough influence, they can dictate the direction Linux goes. Between subverting Linux into 'just another piece of software' that runs UNDER Windows, and the ability to completely exclude any other OS than Windows from even booting up on any modern platform, Microsoft can become the de-facto OWNER of Linux, and then do whatever they please with it. Don't ever say you weren't warned.

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.

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.

Re:Buying them one donation at a time

[drinkypoo]

You forgot telemetry entirely. Oh, we're hardly collecting anything, and you can disable it. Oh, we're collecting a bit of data, but it's anonymized, and you can disable most of it. Oh, we're collecting a pretty fair bit of data, and it's kind of anonymized, and you can disable some of it. Oh, we can actually collect every keystroke from your PC, and by the way, get fucked. And while we're at it, we're going to release a dozen different "security" updates for Windows 7 and 8 to push it back into there, and if you don't install those, then we'll stop releasing individual updates and just start pushing out update rollups which include the telemetry-related updates, and then you have to go back and remove them again after the fact if you don't want to be spied upon.

There's nothing about or from Microsoft that is not some kind of scam.

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.

Re:But still applying the patents FUD

[drinkypoo]

Go back to mommy's basement, child. The adults are trying to have a conversation.

Where are they? All I can see is trolls not old enough to remember Compu$erve.

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.

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.

meanwhile, folks who should know better...

[jabberw0k]

It is depressing to attend a Linux users group and see that practically everyone there is carrying around a proprietary spy-machine. If anyone should grok the dangers of giving money to Google and Apple, it should be Linux users. But even they are blithely following the sheep. Help me RMS you're our only hope...

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.

Keep your enemies closer

[OneHundredAndTen]

Microsoft is just heeding the old adage: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Microsoft is no friend of Linux. Trust Microsoft at your own peril.