Microsoft’s adoption of Linux today is something that appeared to never be possible only a few years ago. It was not even twenty years ago when Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft at the time) stated that “Linux is a cancer.” Now, fast forward to today and Linux is the #1 OS used in the Microsoft Azure cloud, and Microsoft is shipping the Linux kernel with the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2. In addition to all the Linux love from Microsoft, they have even been embracing Open Source, including with the acquisition of GitHub and NPM. All of this growth towards Open Source and Linux has been under the leadership of the current Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, and has lead to tremendous growth of the Microsoft Azure cloud and massive increases in Microsoft stock over the last few years.
Disclaimer: To be absolutely clear, Microsoft has not made any announcements regarding an acquisition of Canonical or Ubuntu. This article explores some of the reason why they might do so in the future, and predicts that it’s something that would makes sense for the company going forward. Only executives at Microsoft and Mark Shuttleworth really know if this is something that has actually been discussed or thought about. I do NOT have any insider information what so ever. Please leave a message in the comments telling me what you think about this idea. Thanks!
Should Microsoft Acquire Canonical / Ubuntu?
Sure, Microsoft could easily create their own Linux distribution; similarly to what Amazon has done. However, Ubuntu (made by Canonical) is already the most used Linux distribution within Microsoft Azure. Plus, Microsoft has had some close integration in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for Windows 10 where even though other Linux distros are supported, it’s clear that Ubuntu is the preferred distribution to use with WSL. Due to this popularity of Ubuntu Linux on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, and the tight integration using WSL with Windows 10; it really seems to make perfect sense that if Microsoft wanted their own Linux distribution for the Azure cloud and for Windows 10, Microsoft would choose to continue this relationship to the next level by acquiring the Canonical (the company that makes the Ubuntu Linux distribution.)
Microsoft has even started targeting Linux with it’s desktop software. The release of the Microsoft Teams desktop client application for Linux is the first Microsoft Office application released for Linux. With this release, Microsoft even stated that it’s the “first Microsoft 365 app coming to Linux”. Perhaps we’ll even see Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and others come to run natively on Linux in the near future as well.
This growth of Linux adoption by Microsoft makes it seem that even though the Windows OS will be here for the foreseeable future, it’s becoming clearer that Linux taking over the server market may only be the beginning. Linux is creeping into our desktop and laptop machines slowly more and more. In the future, it may become the dominant operating system for all uses. After all, Linux is in most peoples pockets with Google’s Android OS too. Microsoft acquiring Canonical and Ubuntu may be the best way for Microsoft to stay relevant in the way of operating systems of the future; for both server and desktop use.
Microsoft acquiring Canonical and Ubuntu may be the best way for Microsoft to stay relevant in the way of operating systems of the future; for both server and desktop use.
Chris Pietschmann, Founder of Build5Nines.com
Microsoft has continued to invest very heavily in the enterprise and cloud space through Microsoft Azure, Internet of Things (IoT), and other investments. Acquiring Ubuntu, the most popular Linux distribution in the cloud and across the enterprise, may be the next best move to say relevant in the operating system space. Especially since Windows Server’s marketshare in the cloud (including Microsoft’s own Azure cloud) has been slowly decreasing in favor of Linux and most popularly Ubuntu.
Yes, on a related note, Microsoft has some big partnerships with Red Hat for using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in Microsoft Azure too. Ubuntu is not the only Linux distribution they’re working with, among others that are supported in Azure as well. However, these partnerships and support of many Linux distributions doesn’t need to really be affected by the acquisition of Ubuntu and Canonical. Those other distributions can still continue to be supported within Azure, so long as enterprises are still relying on them for their cloud-based systems. Although, an even tighter integration of Ubuntu with both Microsoft Azure and Windows 10 could help push forward greater innovations in the ability to run Linux server in the cloud, as well as integrating them into the traditionally Windows-focused networks most enterprises are running today.
It’s worth mentioning that the Linux uses by Microsoft mentioned in this article so far are not the only ventures into embracing Linux that Microsoft has done. They use Linux a lot themselves to host many Microsoft Azure services, contribute to the Linux kernel, use Linux for the Azure Sphere OS for IoT, support Linux for IoT Edge devices with Azure IoT Edge, and much more. This even includes the SONiC open source networking OS based on Linux that runs the switches that power Microsoft Azure’s datacenters. No matter what you think about Microsoft, they have very much become an Open Source and Linux company in recent years. Formally owning their own Linux distribution would take that to the next level, and really cement their position in the Linux space.
The world’s most popular operating system across public clouds and OpenStack clouds.
Source: Ubuntu.com
Will Mark Shuttleworth sell to Microsoft?
Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux is not just the most popular Linux distribution in Microsoft Azure. It is the most popular Linux distribution across all clouds, and is the most popular Linux distribution in use today. This is some massive success and the growth of Ubuntu and Canonical puts the company at the forefront of being an interesting acquisition target by companies like Microsoft.
Since Canonical is a privately owned company, they don’t have shares that can be bought up on the stock market for any kind of hostile take over. Plus, for this type of acquisition, Microsoft wouldn’t want to acquire the company that way anyway. As was done peacefully, and great for the community, Microsoft will need to come to some purchase agreement with Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical’s founder.
As a company, Canonical is small enough that Microsoft could easily afford to acquire it. According to Wikipedia, Canonical’s revenue in 2018 was approximately $110 million. I don’t know what the actual acquisition price would be, but it’s likely it would take the form of a combination of cash and Microsoft stock in the realm of somewhere between $770 million and $3.3 billion. Although, given the popularity of Ubuntu, the company is most likely work many times this amount. In reality we could be looking at something more like a $30 billion acquisition.
My estimates of an acquisition price of between $770 million and $3.3 billion are based on the acquisitions of GitHub and LinkedIn. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn at $26 billion which is roughly 7.2x it’s annual revenue at the time. And, Microsoft acquired GitHub at $7.5 billion which is roughly 30x it’s annual revenue at the time. Without knowing more about the finances of Canonical, its seems to reason the acquisition price will be somewhere in the realm of these numbers.
Could Microsoft purchase Canonical for somewhere in between $770 million and $3.3 billion, or more?! Maybe much more is likely given the popularity of Ubuntu, so we could be looking at an acquisition upwards of $30 billion!
Chris Pietschmann, Found or Build5Nines.com
Reportedly, Mark Shuttleworth would consider selling Canonical if he were to remain in charge of the company after the acquisition. However, I don’t think a simple acquisition and leave the company “as-is” would be an acquisition Microsoft would be looking to do. Microsoft would likely replace Mark Shuttleworth as CEO. Although, this wouldn’t be a bad thing as I could see Mark’s new role being much more impactful and instrumental in Microsoft growth and future trajectory with Linux. While not running Canonical anymore as CEO, Mark would likely be in charge of Linux at Microsoft. This would probably mean steering Ubuntu innovations, along with Microsoft’s other Linux work such as contributing to the kernel, integration of Linux in Windows 10 WSL, and many other areas across using Linux within Microsoft Azure. This really wouldn’t be just an acquisition of Canonical and Ubuntu, but also an acquisition of the innovative Linux leadership provided by Mark Shuttleworth himself.
Perhaps, Mark and Microsoft could come to an agreement for acquiring Canonical that is much more that just about the purchase price. Also, if you look at the growth and investment Microsoft has been making since the acquisition of GitHub, it makes sense that Microsoft would do the same level of investment in Ubuntu as well; if not more.
What do you think? Should Microsoft acquire Canonical?
If you agree of disagree with the idea that Microsoft should acquire Canonical and the Ubuntu Linux distribution, please leave a comment below. I would love to hear your take on this. Thanks!
Original Article Source: Should Microsoft acquire Canonical / Ubuntu? written by Chris Pietschmann (If you're reading this somewhere other than Build5Nines.com, it was republished without permission.)
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Yes, I think this acquisition would be a great idea. It would give Canonical financial stability, more commercial viability, extend their sales reach, and bring well accepted Linux repute into Microsoft. I don’t know Mark S and don’t see any reason why he should be asked to leave. I think that’s an old idea of how acquisitions are done that is wasteful.
Let’s not forget how Microsoft embraced Java and killed Java.
Actually, Microsoft tried embracing Java in their own way and got sued, so they were forced to stop. But that was 20 years ago, so old Microsoft back then.
If Canonical is taken over my Microsoft, I’ll be done with Ubuntu.
Killed Java? Java’s been one of the top most used languages for at least a decade.
What you talking about Willis?
Let’s not forget how Microsoft acquired Nokia and killed it, along with it’s Linux based Maemo/Meego OSs. Also Tru that that was done by old MS, but, though that long ago.
If they do that I’ll kill myself, stop ruining the world
No thanks. Microsoft is the antithesis of everything Linux stands for. Besides, what happened to healthy competition instead of becoming some monsterous amalgamation hell bent on buying or breaking everything around it.
PLEASE, NO.
What if, and I realize this is a radical idea, both companies just remained separate entities and continued doing what they’re doing. If MS would like to contribute to Ubuntu, or zlinux in general, they totally can — it’s open source and there is lots of community support.
Canonical isn’t better served by being absorbed by Microsoft.
The fact that Microsoft continues to see “oh I like this and want to help, I’ll buy it” as their approach to engaging with the tech industry is part of the problem. Open Source contributions are NOT predicated on stake; and I think it’s harmful when we just assume that this sort of thing is sensible.
I’m not a huge Stallman fan, but to borrow his metaphor, the bazaar is not improved by being moved in to the cathedral’s atrium.
I’d rephrase the headline, how to kill off users of a Linux distribution
Honestly, I and many others would be happy if Microsoft finally crumbled and the OS they called “cancer” happened to take its place. The era of overcharging for buggy programs and insecure software in the name of “proprietary code” is over, and I for one can’t wait. Companies that try to destroy innovation always end up on the wrong side of history, and trying to make nice as their market share dips is a silly attempt at staying relevant despite clear indicators that it isn’t wanted. Yeah, they could pull an IBM and start buying the things they tried to get rid off to stay afloat, but no one these days is running IBM stuff. It’s like trying to say you were always on the winning side, but always trying to destroy the competition. No one wants to have anything to do with you.
I personally don’t care if Microsoft chooses to buy or build a Linux distribution.
Didn’t IBM purchase Red Hat?
I don’t see Red Hat or Fedora disappearing, if anything Fedora has been more usable and it’s still freely available.
If Microsoft messed up a distribution (Ubuntu or something else) there are many different distributions available and it may finally be a validation of desktop Linux.
If not, there’s no way that such a move would hurt, it’s validation of the value of the Linux approach.
Besides, having another company in the Linux ecosystem with deep pockets may actually allow more people with Linux skills to be employed.
I wouldn’t worry about it. If it works, applaud the current Microsoft for working with a relevant technology. If not, they certainly can’t take down the great number of Debian derivatives already available, which incidentally includes Ubuntu. Also remember that Ubuntu and others have freely available software. The true software enthusiast can build or rebuild whatever they want.
Though I use Linux software from binary images, from time to time I compile and build programs that are not included in the system I have or a feature I want is missing. Freely available software is all about choice and that is STILL TRUE today.
If Microsoft would acquire Canonical I would stop using Ubuntu. Sure… This acquisition would probably be a clever business move, but it would leave many users disgruntled.
Of course this might not directly influence Ubuntu on the servers of companies. But I’m also sure companies have good reasons not to trust Microsoft. I can at least think of one.
So yeah sure, of Microsoft plans to ruin Ubuntu, they should acquire it. People and companies can just easily switch to a different Linux distro. Ubuntu doesn’t have a monopoly on being a good distro anymore.
It would be better for Microsoft to buy SUSE rather than Canocical. We need to remember Microsoft has more business in the enterprice space than consumer markets. WSL and Windows 10 are neat and all, but the WSL integration offers no real source of substantial revenue compared to it’s other offerings, namely cloud. SUSE was wise enough to dip out of the OpenStack market while Canocical is leading the charge of a product on the decline. SUSE is a front runner in the enterprise container platform space with Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes enterprise distros and a plan to combine them into a single offering going head on with Red Hat OpenShift, IBM Cloud Foundry, and VMware Tanzu. SUSE is more prevelant in the European industries and is the second largest contributor to the Linux kernel behind Red Hat.
So Microsoft can F* up Ubuntu as well ? No thanks…. Microsofts incompetence with windows 10, 8, Vista etc is what made me switch to Ubuntu.
Microsoft keep your badly designed OS and incompetent codeing to yourself.
I think that is a good idea. And made all desktop systems Linux. Wlinux is the future. Best stability and more different desktops layout to choose.
I think if this happens, then something will rise to take Ubuntu’s place. People may be ok with Microsoft hosting their code (on Github), but running in their servers is a different matter.
Imagine your nginx server stopped working because your subscription was not renewed. Or your db server n
Microsoft wouldn’t be satisfied with the revenue from Canonical’s business model, which is free to use but pay for support. They would want to embed something proprietary into Ubuntu so people couldn’t freely redistribute it, and then turn it into a subscription service.
Hell no!! If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If ms gets Ubuntu? It’ll be buried never to be heard from again!
I’m not even happy with M$ hosting foss code
Not when they have openly declared war on the open source community
No they shouldn’t .ubuntu will ruined just like vista and the rest of Microsoft’s crap. I switched from win 10 to ubuntu as to.many problems with win 10.
A nice article and this route would make very good sense. MS are clearly embracing open source and this acquisition would be the final piece of the puzzle. At least for the next few years anyway.
I enjoyed the article. However, you need to continue to work on your writing skills. For example one annoying flaw was needless repetîtion of noteworthy facts.
It would make perfect business sense for Microsoft to aquire Canonical and Ubuntu since it is a solid enterprise-worthy Linux distro. Hypothetically, the sale would be roughly double the author’s high estimate. Expect a number closer to $7 billion!
On the server side, Microsoft will utilize Red Hat Enterprise Server until Microsoft releases it’s its own Linux Enterprise Server Product by 2023.
Linux-based Word and other Office applications will be developed and published by 2023 as Microsoft moves to saturate the Linux world with their best-in-class office apps.
the whole point of using Ubuntu is that it’s not Microsoft. we’re all sick of monopolistic tech giants. that’s why I use Ubuntu. i would certainly abandon it if it were acquired by MS.
Word, PowerPoint, and others already run on Linux! Android is basically Linux, and they run on Android, so they run on Linux.
Perhaps not GNU/Linux though. Not yet…
If this happens, people will abandon Ubuntu. Windows 10 is a disaster. I am sorry but Microsoft still has across-the-board management issues.
Bad move for Mark S to sell Canonical to Microsoft. Should that happen, it would be bad for the consumer due to the lack of competition. Mark S and his team provide a FREE robust OS compared to expensive Windows OS which is flawed by viruses. Why should Microsoft dominate?
Ubuntu is just a Debian fork,even if is big. If Microsoft bosses are smart won’t buy it but make another fork with the windows skin.
Completely agree. Please don’t EVER suggest something like this again. I left MS when the windows 8 disaster happened and it has not improved at all. I’m forced to use windows 10 at work ONLY until they get a Linux image.
Honestly why would MS care? Linux is less than 3% of desktop marketshare and is unlikely to increase much because the majority of people are lemmings that will run whatever OS starts when they pull the PC out of the box.
If this were to ever happen then once the world gets right on its axis again (since the world will have flipped from this Ungodly acquisition) everyone will start looking at other distros like Arch and Debian that still remain.
If Microsoft bought Canonical, many people would stop using Ubuntu.
NO WAY. What did they do to Nokia? What did they do when they said that they like Java? They messed everything up. Whenever Microsoft has done an acquisition, it has went very well…right? NO. The day Microsoft acquires Canonical, I’d be the first one to switch back to plain old Debian. End of the tale.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish
you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, Micro$oft is here just for the money, just look at their main product: Windows 10 is so damn bugged and with every new update users complain about a broken system, and what do they have done? Nothing. They clearly don’t give a damn as long as they keep winning money.
“we ❤️ L̶i̶n̶u̶x̶ money”
Indeed. Let’s not forget how Microsoft killed Nokia.
No! It would be a very bad idea if Microsoft acqiured Connical / Ubuntu. In 2010 on a Sunday I was watching a Spanish evangilst show on TV, in this show they had some slick computer animation that claimed Microsoft was the Antichrist! (Think 1984).
There may be some danger that future versions of Ubuntu would include some unwanted features, like hidden telemetry and other stuff currently drawing people away from Win10 (and MS) to Ubuntu.
So, yes, acquisition may be reasonable from an economic view, but may change the user base, as those wanting to keep the free nature of the OS they use would going to look for alternatives.
Although all that you have said is possible and sadly probable I have to ask if we really want or need this ? Android was made independently and then consumed by Google removing any opposition to their plans, simelery if Microsoft gobbled up Ubuntu there would be a lot less diversity in the available desktop OS’s. Yes there is Mint and Zorin and a few hundred other varieties but if Microsoft gobbled up Ubuntu ALL of the others would soon end up having to comply with the Microsoft environment removing innovation and variety and be thetthe anethemma to the open source idealology that is the basis of Gnu Linux , Microsoft’s licences are comprehensive and exclusive, ( I read somewhere that the ULA contains more words than Shakespeare ) with binding restrictions hidden deep within it.Ubuntu would not survive this treatment and in all probability neither would Linux as we know it.
Written with two board children on a train !
That said nice article.
Phil.
“it.Ubuntu would not survive this treatment and in all probability neither would Linux as we know it.”
No. Not at all. This is absurd. If Microsoft acquired Canonical then Ubuntu itself might be an issue. Linux itself? Not a chance. RedHat, Fedora, Pop!_OS, Manjaro, Arch. Suse, Debian, etc, just to name a few, are all independent distributions (except for Pop!_OS) that do not really on Ubuntu and collectively they are much larger than the Windows division at Microsoft. As it is, Linux has *already* dominated the world, just not in the desktop sector. The top 500 super computers all run Linux, most servers run Linux, Android uses the Linux kernel, most set to boxes use Linux. It’s everywhere, and most of these deployments do not use or rely on Ubuntu.
Microsoft buying out Canonical would ultimately be a drop in the bucket in the Linux development ecosystem. Canonical has a ton of business clients that Microsoft would then need to support. It would further legitimize Linux as a viable platform for many users, businesses, and developers that may have been hesitant about putting any effort into adopting Linux. And it wouldn’t be a cheap purchase either. So Microsoft would either keep Canonical as a separate entity and inject more money and manpower into it, or they would take it over and merge it into Windows beyond what WSL2 currently does.
In either scenario, it would only strengthen the position of Linux being a world class leading operating system. The only reason Microsoft would do this is because Windows itself is dying and their market share is starting to erode.
Imo it’ll be much better. And it will presumably provide more stability to Linux market which has more distributions that possible. And also has some big ass glitches that are still half solved like graphic card support, gaming fps, stability etc.
Certainly a good serial acquisition. MS cannot be compared to the old mindset. It is much closer to the Linux world for both desktop and Server.
This would be a boon for Linux Mint and Pop!_OS, two rising stars among desktop Linux products. But it would also make great sense for Microsoft, which is increasingly dependent on Ubuntu for its desktop and cloud Linux strategies.
Awful idea. We go to Ubuntu because they are awesome and to get away from Microsoft and their crappy windows. They will ruin Ubuntu and I would then go to Fedora or Linux mint or something.
If MS got there dirty hands on Ubuntu. A lot of free help would just walk away and start a new flavor (I hope)
MS aquiring Canonical would be bad news for Ubuntu desktop users like me. Although there is no “war” between Linux and Windows anymore, I can’t imagine them promoting desktop usage of Linux, since MS already has a desktop operating system (or so they say). Ubuntu would become a server/cloud operating system just like Redhead, leaving desktop users in the cold.
Personally I do not see this happening. Suse being taken over by Microsoft I can imagine because they already have a strategic alliance.
I hope this never happens. See the frequent Forbes articles on Windows 10 update blunders. Ubuntu just works, and most of my clients use it.
If Microsofts army of developers got their hands on it I am confident that they would screw it up completely.
Actually Microsoft always has the strategy of monopolizing the OS market. There is no research and innovation, there’s only the target of selling the highest number of OEM and licenses. The more the better. No support for old hardware, end users are bound to purchase new one, that’s the way their sale is increased of the new OS licenses.
The whole idea stinks. I left microsoft stuff because of they way they are trying to own the world and tell us all how to use our computers. If this happened, i for one would quit using Ubuntu.
If Microsoft bought canonical then they will start charging a fee for using the software
Embrace, extend, and extinguish…???
(history teaches..)
I will stop using Ubuntu immediately. So no!
Non pour racheter Ubuntu il est libre et dois le rester
Microsoft strategy has always been of monopolizing the OS market. There is no research and innovation, only the target of selling highest number of OEM and licenses. There’s no support for old hardware and end users are bound to purchase new hardware and OS software. That’s the way they make huge money selling via big Computer Giants…
Most people use ubuntu because they already fed up with MS. So people simply jump ship if MS really buys ubuntu, period.
I’ve been a Ubuntu user to years now and if Microsoft buy Canonical they I will be uninstalling it straight away! My desktop is already running Fedora which I am happy with. Microsoft are though a virus to the computing world!
No, If Microsoft buy Canonical I will start using Arch, Debian os for my PCs
Microsoft has never managed to make something decent with any company they bought.
Ubuntu has gone very far without Microsoft. Why shouldn’t Mark Shuttleworth be able to go on like this!
Microsoft is good at developing complicated systems that are very difficult to use, with 1000 possibilities to set something. I only think of Office 365, the latest from Microsoft. It’s terrible to work with.
The takeover of Ubuntu / Canonical by Microsoft would sooner or later result in the death of this Linux distribution.
Carl is correct. Exactly the same kinda thing that happened when Oracle made acquisitions…
OpenOffice forked to LibreOffice
MySQL forked to MariaDB
Ubuntu will fork… since many people will chose to avoid Microsoft.
Yes.. Ubuntu fully Integrated in windows..or widows build on top of Ubuntu.
Imagine a nginx server stopped working because you didn’t renew your subscription. Or your db server, with loads of free RAM and disk space, stopped accepting new client connections because you reached your license count. Or your kernel not allowed to recompile to your specific hardware needs because of some agreement between Microsoft and Intel. Now imagine this happened on a space shuttle sensor 10,000 years from now. Not one reasonable geek would risk a successful mission by choosing an OS designed by engineers under the influence of shortsighted salespeople obsessed with next quarter results.
Please God no!!!
No, Microsoft is like cancer. Whatever M$ touches, it all die or leave there to die. Ubuntu develops amazing os and it’s
Powerful. Just leave M$ at it’s playground and stop polluting other greater good.
If Microsoft bouģht Canonical then we would probably see the beginning of the end of Ubuntu being free for home users and I like so many others would have to find a replacement OS. Remember Microsoft doesn’t do anything for free so I think it would be a sad day if Microsoft bought Canonical.
I think it’s a great move if they should buy it will only make Linux stronger with an office for Linux too
How about how MS killed Xen on an agreement with Citrix and succeed in upwards HyperV (a piece of crap) to the second place, behind VMware?
R.I.P. Ubuntu
That would be the worst thing that could happen to Ubuntu
Two things 1 I thought it was open source, who would profit from the sale? Definitely not the individuals who helped make the code in the first place… So I totally agree if Microsoft bought Canonical, many people would stop using Ubuntu.
No. I’ll never use Ubuntu again.
As Microsoft cannot produce windoze without a million bugs what would they do to Ubuntu. I personally would not like this acquisition to happen.
Their (MS) choice, we can’t even stop them. I think it’s okay if it ever happened. I’ll continue to use Ubuntu or it’s based distros.
Reasonable for Microsoft? Yes maybe.
For the Linux community, not so much., I think.
There is still way to much Bad will from/against Microsoft because of what you said. So it will take a long time to fix that trust issue. It will not go away yet. Microsoft has a LOT to show before that will happen, because Microsoft has a LOT of vad things in the past.
I rather belive that IBM would be a better choce. They have at least a long track record of investing and suporting Oss and Linux. Way before MS became hostile to MS.
It is in this way Trust work. It is hard to get, but soo easy to ruin. And then you are back in square – 1, in best case.
If Microsoft does aquire canonical then I will be looking for a different distribution to run!
I do not trust Microsoft as far as I could throw them
It is because of this that I moved to Linux an generally Ubuntu derivatives in the first place
That’s a horrific concept. If Microsoft buys Ubuntu. I certainly will choose another distro. One that actually cant be bought out.
I think I’d prefer if Microsoft forked Ubuntu or any other project over acquiring a currently popular distribution. If they want to cooperate with Canonical that’s fine too, but I think Ubuntu is better off where it is.
I ( and probably most people ) have considered this possibility for some time. I think Microsoft would do well for itself to buy Canonical which is in poor shape financially and only survives because of the wealth Mark Shuttleworth earned from his Thawte startup. If so, it’s direction should be to make Ubuntu it’s default OS for anything Internet server related. If anything proprietary is involved, it should be separated as part of a Microsoft Software Pack. You might wind up with a Ubuntu Classic / Ubuntu Enterprise situation. Alternatively, it could just fork Debian or Ubuntu and keep the cash.
For Ubuntu, the benefit of a MSFT purchase would be to survive. All that polish isn’t free, even if you don’t pay. If MSFT doesn’t buy Canonical, it will become a pleasant memory, barely kept alive by a few volunteers much like the plethora of other half-baked Debian derivatives.
Personally, I wish all those volunteers would just join together into one distribution that would rule them all.
I use Win10 because it came with my PC, I use Ubuntu because it allows me to do what I want without clogging my bandwidth with unnecessary background programs that have no reason to run and can’t be disabled or adapted. If Windows does buy Canonical in the future I will be done with both.
No.
That would most likely mean the end of Linux Mint, which would make me very unhappy.
There are many factors and perspectives to consider; the short answer is that the very best thing that Microsoft could do would be a twofold interaction with Canonical/Ubuntu. First, Microsoft would collaborate with Canonical on the development of a special ‘flavor’ of Ubuntu such as Lubuntu or Ubuntu MATE. At the same time, it would negotiate with Canonical to commit to a long-term support period of ten years for the ‘flavor’. Microsoft would have to let Canonical handle all the licensing of the flavor. However, Microsoft would have to go further. They would have to allow an outside institution, perhaps, the Linux Foundation, to act as custodians of the code. They would also have to write extraordinary and detailed provisions into the licenses that would explicitly forbid them, or anyone else, from ever ‘Tevo-ing’ the flavor or any derivative of it (by ‘Tevo-ing’ I mean creating a product to which one can apply proprietary licenses even though all of the components of the product were licensed as open-source; the development of Tevo is the namesake).
The second action that Microsoft would take would be to donate a massive sum of money to the Shuttleworth Foundation, or the Linux Foundation. Otherwise, it could simply give a massive gift to Canonical.
Why would Microsoft have to legally and operationally distance itself from the product of a potential partnership with the most prominent distribution of the Linux operating system? It would have to do so in order for its actions not to poison Canonical itself as well as the product of any collaboration. Microsoft has always been a useless, predatory, ethically bankrupt, monopolistic leviathan. It has been said to have bought the US Supreme Court to avoid being broken up in 2000. It has been said to have stolen Skype from Linus Torvalds by using intermediary venture capital investors who probably intended to sell it to Microsoft from the outset. It has worked hand-in-glove with the lawless, dystopian, and totalitarian national security apparatus of the United States and its allies. From Gates onward, it has been run by and for cretins, perverts, and monsters. Nadella has probably made the best moves in the firm’s history by buying GitHub and NPM. His moves are the only way to attempt to revive a useless shell of an enterprise that resembles Yahoo before its Enron-style implosion. Microsoft can take one of two paths: IBM or Yahoo. Its best strategy is to blend into the background of the industry by acting as an inconspicuous bank for valuable enterprises that both have, and exercise, values. Nadella no doubt sees as much. There is no reason to think Microsoft is out of the woods yet.
Canonical would stand to gain some long-term financial security. It might also gain access to additional funding that would allow it to exert a positive influence on the development of free, open-source software for decades to come. Of course, in order to gauge the risks to Canonical’s brand, one should examine how many users have migrated to GitLab just because GitHub was acquired by Microsoft. To be sure, even the scenario outlined above would nauseate and disturb legions of die-hard fans of Ubuntu and Canonical. Nevertheless, if the scenario described above were implemented, most of those users could probably shudder, drink a coffee, and go on with their lives.
I just don’t like the idea that a single company (MS) can be allowed to monopolise the control of the two most important OS’ currently available. Control of these would be worse than China controlling Huewai.
How would MS profit from an OS that is currently being given away for free? If they attach any sort of cost to it, either as a purchase or right-to-use license, they’d have to offer some sort of huge benefit/incentive to convince them to pay.
I abandoned Microsoft quite a few years ago because of bugs, security issues, virus susceptibility and their fascist licensing ! If Canonical sells out, they have pretty much sold out the whole Linux community!! I am horribly opposed to such a big corporation dangling a HUGE monetary carrot like they can to a small business. Keep open source just that ! Unless Microsoft changes their tactics and general business model, which is highly unlikely, I say NO !!
No, no, no, a million times no! They will just screw it up like they screw up everything. No, just no
Yes. It is posible, The Microsoft could acquire The Linux Kernel too. I will migrate to FreeBSD or OpenBSD, or Openindiana. Thank you!
Fortunately, Microsoft couldn’t aquire the entire Linux kernel without the approval of everyone who’s ever contributed to it’s development, thanks to thev way it was licensed.
They’d have a better time just making their own proprietary OS based on Unix.
I absolutely can not believe I’m saying this, but. yes, I think that night actually be a good idea.
*Phew* OK, that was weird.
I must say that was quite a CEO upgrade for Microsoft.
Terrible idea in my view. I love Ubuntu but would stop using it should MS acquire it.
MS have cornered both the desktop and server market. Now they’ve realised that Linux is no longer a cancer but a real competitor, they can simply buy it out, then develope it in their own style.
We must not allow a single company to monopolise the entire market? This will stiffle real competition and future development.
We do have the power to tell MS, ‘NO’. Sadly, we just have to be prepared to move to another distro; just leave Ubuntu on the shelf.
Linux is the future. Windows has not progressed much since 3.1 . Shuttleworth should hang on and let the world migrate to Linux and watch Microsoft wither. Money is not everything.
Bad idea for Canonical and the Linux community in general.
NOOOO, Microsoft should not be allowed to cross into Linux. Leave it alone, anything they touch turns to poop.
No. No. No. Have you seen windows 10? They’ll destroy Ubuntu.
Microsoft is making the worst OS because they were a single player… You can not expect more if you play alone.
Is funny to see comment on this article. You all are just hate m$, is silly to using other reason to cover that.
Just look at ms visual code, in short time is already take over dominant code editor even some jetbrain staff using it. And some small group trying black campaign it but fail. Is just like github too.
I hate monopolize thing too, but i hate ‘too many competitors’ too because is just create too many garbage fanatics fan boys and fragmentation. Every independent have own distribution system, why not using one distribution system?
And everyone always love money, and i asked to you, what purpose you working for? Get money right? Is ridiculous to see silly comment in here lol.
Your black campaign is not working anymore on new era of m$. Recent linux distro is buggy too on my old laptop. Is funny to see ms 10 is working fine on it lol
It is obvious that our 1st languages are not the same yet we can communicate using 3rd person translations. This is what we need/want in the OS market, theability to act in our preferred ” Language” and just get on with it!