Read this twice: Microsoft is working on a Linux-based OS
Read this twice: Microsoft is working on a Linux-based OS
Will wonders never cease--Microsoft chooses their
platform foe to build a new piece of high-end software
With Apple inviting a Microsoft executive on stage
during their event recently, it seems there’s no end to the instances
of blindsiding of disbelief in technology these days. The newest
development is this: Microsoft is working on an operating system that is actually based on Linux.
After you’ve had a chance to digest that sentence and maybe
read that a couple of times more to get over the initial incredulity,
you should know that this is true. The company is working on building
something called Azure Cloud Switch
(ACS), a software aimed at making it simpler to control the hardware
that powers their cloud-based services. And they have chosen to build
this particular piece of software based on non other than their
long-standing platform foe Linux.
This new operating system is not one aimed at desktops or
laptops--it is to do with high-end enterprise networking hardware. The
aim, they said, is to create a software based operating environment that
makes it easier to manage and control those pieces of networking
components which drive their enterprise-class cloud services, including
high-end switches and routers. With numerous companies providing this
hardware, each propounds their own software platform for control and
management, which becomes a challenge when dealing with mixed hardware
typically deployed in cloud services. The operating system under
development aims to alleviate this issue and deliver a more unified,
cloud-centric platform that works across diverse hardware solutions.
This inclusive approach is actually a far cry from
Microsoft’s early days when such a level of software diversity in their
product portfolio was practically unheard of. But the new Satya Nadella
Microsoft is a whole other beast, with the company increasingly embracing other technologies--even competition--along their way toward developing products aimed at serving today’s consumers computing needs.
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