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Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
Microsoft just announced that three different versions of the free Linux operating system — Ubuntu, Suse, and Fedora — are coming to the Windows Store, the app market in Windows 10.
It sounds weird, but it makes perfect sense. In early 2016, Microsoft announced the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), a way for developers to use full versions of Linux within Windows 10 itself.
Putting aside the historical ramifications here — Microsoft spent the 90s unsuccessfully trying to stamp out Linux, a free alternative to Windows — it was a move intended to bait programmers into using Windows 10.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-store-gets-ubuntu-suse-fedora-linux-2017-5
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Microsoft Store Gets Ubuntu, Suse, Fedora Linux
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TAPPING? You POLITICIANS! Don't you realize that the END of the "Wash
Cycle" is a TREASURED MOMENT for most people?!
(Score: 2) by Rich on Sunday May 14 2017, @11:45PM (7 children)
"For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the Program."
This implies that, if Microsoft tries to enforce a patent on about anything they distribute with the images (particularly the mainstream kernels), they could no longer distribute under the GPL 2 (which is the only way to distribute the Linux kernel with its zillion contributors), and they'd commit criminal copyright infringement. The GPL 2 has no lame "pretty please" wordings like V3, so interested parties with a tad of political clout could go in with a BSA style jackboot raid.
I wonder what will come of this.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 15 2017, @01:52AM (4 children)
MS is not running a Linux kernel. It is some compatibility layer in the windows kernel that they made to run Android apps that they later extended to be able to run a std. GNU userspace.
Windows sucks at forking (slow!), and probably other windows issues will also make this pretty limited in utility. I think this is pitched as a better cygwin, for when you are forced to run windows at work (of course they probably phrase this differently).
(Score: 2) by Rich on Monday May 15 2017, @02:40AM
MS is not running a Linux kernel.
It's not about running anything. The FSF were adamant about asserting that no acceptance of any license should be needed to run any software. Cf. the whole EULA enforcability and UCITA thing back in the day and the rage about the GPL3 being some kind of EULA, too.
If Microsoft brings any Linux image to their store, they are distributing Linux, and that's where the GPL kicks in. With the explainingly worded section 7 I quoted, and section 6, too: "You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein." E.g. Microsoft can't assert any patents against GPL code on the images anymore. Splitting hairs, there might be an attempt to sue Linux users outside of their distribution, so users would be only safe when they run Linux under Windows, but in turn there would be the (weird) workaround of replacing the repositories with identical source that once went through Microsoft.
I believe it when I see it actually being done. Maybe there will be a workaround where they only offer "loaders" in the store and leave the "viral" GPL stuff with external providers. But if they're going to provide the actual images, it would mean that desktop Linux as we know it is safe from (direct) Microsoft patent attacks.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 15 2017, @11:45AM (1 child)
for when you are forced to run windows at work
This is the boat I am in, it is better than cygwin which I have used in the past. Also windows 10 provides a really usable UI, seriously best of both worlds between windowed and tiled, they've got multiple desktops now and I've just enabled focus follows mouse and this is really comfortable and not at all offensive looking. I'd say better than most out of the box linux desktop environments I've worked on and I've always considered Linux desktop to be superior to Windows, I hate to say it, but they've really done a great job here at the same time as the linux world f'ked the pooch in the arse by allowing systemd.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 15 2017, @01:27PM
Seriously? Troll? Biased much?
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Monday May 15 2017, @03:29PM
I think this is pitched as a better cygwin, for when you are forced to run windows at work (of course they probably phrase this differently).
Or a better Cygwin for when your laptop isn't fully compatible with Linux-on-the-metal, such as WLAN or suspend being broken. This can happen, for example, when no local computer stores are advertising new laptops specifically designed for use with GNU/Linux.
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Monday May 15 2017, @02:26AM (1 child)
I would be interested too - this looks like naked "embrace, extend, extinguish".
(Score: 2) by Rich on Monday May 15 2017, @02:54AM
One thing to remember is that with the branded Linuxes, trademark issues come into play. Hence the weird names of the RHEL spinoffs. Both sides have to play ball. SuSE, via Novell, has been in bed with MS before to the point that this fuckup is immortalized in the GPL3 (though I've never fully understood why the FSF put in that cutoff date), I suspect they get along very well with Red Hat these days, and maybe they cut Shuttleworth some kind of deal for his planned IPO. Also notice that Debian and Mint, preferred choices of Admins and Desktop Nerds are absent from the list.