14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has finally acknowledged the potential that the open-source world in general, and Linux in particular, boasts, so the company is exploring its options to expand in this area with every occasion.
Most recently, an episode posted on Channel 9 and entitled “Improvements to Bash on Windows and the Windows Console” with senior program manager Rich Turner calls for Linux developers to have a look at what Windows 10 has to offer.
“Fire up a Windows 10 Insiders' build instance and run your code, run your tools, host your website on Apache, access your MySQL database from your Java code,” Turner explains.
More improvements on their way
Turner went on to point out that the Windows subsystem for Linux is there to provide developers with all the necessary tools to code just like they’d do it on Linux, all without losing the advantages of Windows 10.
“Whatever it is that you normally do on Linux to build an application: whether it's in Go, in Erlang, in C, whatever you use, please, give it a try on Bash WSL, and importantly file bugs on us. It really makes our life a lot easier and helps us build a product that we can all use and be far more productive with,” he continued.
Of course, Microsoft is keen on improving WSL in Windows 10, and Turner states that the final goal is to make it fully compatible with all development tools that are currently on Linux and which could be used by those who switch to its latest OS.
“We're not done yet. We have a long way to go yet until we can fully say that this thing is really comprehensibly compatible with the majority of the tools that you want to use,” he said.
Recently, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation as a platinum member, promising to contribute to the development of the open-source world.
The announcement took many people by surprise, especially after former CEO Steve Ballmer described Linux as “a cancer.” With Satya Nadella at the helm of the company, however, Microsoft seems to adopt a totally different approach, and getting closer to the open-source ecosystem is regarded as a priority for the software giant.
UPDATE, November 30: Headline and first paragraph edited to better reflect that Rich Turner didn't specifically ask for Linux developers to give up on their platform, but to have a look at the tools bundled into Windows 10.