Microsoft to Ship a Linux Kernel With Windows
Completing the trifecta of recent Microsoft news for developers, Linux Systems Group program manager Jack Hammons writes about shipping a full Linux kernel with Windows this summer:
Beginning with Windows Insiders builds this Summer, we will include an in-house custom-built Linux kernel to underpin the newest version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). This marks the first time that the Linux kernel will be included as a component in Windows. This is an exciting day for all of us on the Linux team at Microsoft and we are thrilled to be able to tell you a little bit about it.
Hopefully this will be a wake-up call Apple needs to change course. For decades, the selling point of the Mac for developers has been “Unix with a Mac GUI”, but now that comes with a caveat: “Unix with a Mac GUI, but the Mac GUI part isn’t maintained anymore and to develop anything with our new stuff, you need our permission”. That’s a different value proposition, and one that the developer community will reject if given the opportunity (with adequate competition). When you’re looking for a big breakthrough, look for areas of neglect; the Mac as a developer machine is being neglected and is ripe for disruption.