We are living in historic times…. Microsoft has reportedly developed its own Linux distribution. We repeat: Microsoft has reportedly developed its own Linux distribution.
The new operating system is reportedly being used by Azure Networking.
Redmond has revealed that it has developed Azure Cloud Switch, or ACS. It describes it as a “cross-platform modular operating system for Data Center networking built on Linux.”
Kamala Subramanian, Redmond's principal architect for Azure Networking, says: "At Microsoft, we believe there are many great platforms available in the market, and with healthy competition among vendors we can drive innovation, increase speed, and reduce costs."
ACS is designed to use the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI), an OpenCompute that offers an API for programming ASICs inside network devices.
Microsoft's announcement of ACS mentions few of its features, and doesn't explain why the company decided to make the Linux distribution. Is it a sideways acceptance of Linux's capabilities over the Windows Server operating system?
However, it should be noted that Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella is something we've never seen before. It seems that he's not afraid to use any technology, as long as it works.
But should Microsoft develop its own Linux?
This was something we didn't expect..
