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Microsoft donates code to Linux: Remember, folks, what comes after 'Embrace'

By Pamela Jones et al.

Microsoft has donated some drivers to Linux. It's to their advantage to do so. This isn't code to make Linux better in some way that benefits everyone. Ina Fried has it right:

But lest anyone think Microsoft suffered a massive head trauma over the weekend, the code it is releasing isn't really about helping Linux compete better with Microsoft. The drivers are really geared at making Windows a better host for Linux.

"The Linux device drivers we are releasing are designed so Linux can run in enlightened mode, giving it the same optimized synthetic devices as a Windows virtual machine running on top of Hyper-V," Tom Hanrahan, director of Microsoft's Open Source Technology Center, said in a statement. "Without this driver code, Linux can run on top of Windows, but without the same high performance levels."

Microsoft wants Linux to run on Windows, in short. So remember what comes after the 'Embrace' part.

In case you had any doubt about the true motive, please note that the Microsoft announcement offers a link to video of Microsoft's Tom Hanrahan discussing the move with Sam Ramji. But to view it, you have to have or install Microsoft's proprietary Silverlight. There is no Microsoft Silverlight for Linux. They provide a transcript, though, of an interview with them, and here's why they are doing this, according to Ramji:

We are hearing more and more customers and open source partners telling us they see some of their best value when they deploy new open source software solutions on top of existing Microsoft platforms.

So this is about not losing customers to Linux. And ultimately to replace it, if they can. That's the 'Extinguish' part.

Full post as published by Groklaw on July 20, 2009 (boomark / email).