This raises the hair on the back of my neck...

[TWPonKubuntu]

The article uses some "glowing" terms to describe the "New Windows Linux Kernel"...

Title: Microsoft's New Operating System Based On Linux

http://www.linuxandubuntu.com/home/m...based-on-linux

Not going to happen in my world...

"Fox in the hen house"...
"Who left that door open?"
"What were they drinking?"

PS: this is for devices in the IOT (Internet of Things) and not (yet) for personal computers.

<shiver>

You can flame me, but I'm a Linux Advocate and NOT a Redmond robot.

[GreyGeek]

"Microsoft says that Linux kernel has been reworked with security innovations that were pioneers in Windows to create a highly secure environment. "
Translation: Microsoft has embedded back doors in the Linux kernel so that it can continue snooping just like it was doing with its own OS.

Actually, with the introduction of BASH inside of Windows I've been expecting MS to adopt the Linux kernel in some way. Using it for their IoT OS is a first step but I predict that within a few years Windows 1X will be a Linux based OS. The reason is simple: MS can't match the number of coders that work on the Linux kernel.
https://fossbytes.com/linux-kernel-d...t-contributer/

From Linux kernel 4.8 to 4.13, about 83,000 changesets have been merged from 4,319 individual developers from 519 corporations. While the number of developers and changesets have increased from the last report, the number of companies remained the same.
...
Since the git era, i.e., the 2.6.11 release in 2005, a total of 15,637 developers have contributed.

Intel, RedHat and IBM leading the pack of corporations contributing to the Linux kernel. Canonical is way down the list.

[TWPonKubuntu]

GG;

So how does Redmond monetize Linux? I can't believe that this is NOT their goal.

Will Windows users have to pay a price ($$$) for a "Windows(r)" shell around a "free" Linux kernel? That is speculation on my part, I really don't know how they will squeeze money from this, but it the nature of the Redmond group...

[GreyGeek]

The Linux kernel is very specific about licensing -- the kernel is ONLY under the GPL v2.0 license.

But that's no block to MS. When MS said "that Linux kernel has been reworked with security innovations that were pioneers in Windows to create a highly secure environment." my "translation was only partly ficitious. The GPL v2 does not forbid selling software released under its license. However, I believe what MS is doing is adding hooks to their "reworked" kernel that calls proprietary binary blobs in the Azure Sphere (MCU source code). If you ask for a copy of their kernel source, they'll gladly give it, knowing that they are giving away nothing beyond the kernel source itself. You will not be able to do anything with the hooks because you do not have access to the binary blobs in the Azure Sphere OS. As far as monetizing it? Piece of cake. Folks pay for each Azure Sphere device, even though MS said it will give the Azure Sphere OS to IoT manufacturers without royalties.

Manufacturers have been making IoT devices for years and most of them use stripped version of the Linux kernel as the on board OS. That requires that they hire and maintain a developer staff. In addition, each has gone its on way as far as security is concerned and a LOT of those devices have little or no root security and can be easily hacked using the "John The Ripper" password cracking tool, or similar hacking tools. What Microsoft is doing is leveraging its brand name to capture the IoT market using security and the cloud as lures.

MS said "The company is also going to license the manufacturers free of royalties so that any partner can develop and manufacture their own Azure Sphere chips." The "free" part will be the Azure Sphere OS (Linux kernel). The rest of their package includes

• Azure Sphere certified microcontrollers
• The cloud-based security service of Azure Sphere.

They can't give the microcontrollers away and stay in business, nor will they give away access to their cloud-based security services, so charging for those is how they will monetize Azure Sphere. Giving someone a copy of Azure Sphere OS for free is merely giving them a copy of a stripped down Linux kernel with hooks to proprietary binary blobs present in PROM of the microcontrollers. Makers of IoT devices can fire their code monkeys, fire their security experts (if they had hired any) and fire their support staff. They just use MS's Azure Sphere MCU's in their IoT devices and pay MS for the certification and the cloud access.

The IoT is low hanging fruit that MS will harvest easily.

[TWPonKubuntu]

GG,
Thanks for the response. It makes sense.

It also tells me which products/brands to avoid in the future...

I can see a niche for competing hardware which doesn't need the MS code for operation. That is another battlefield in the OS wars...

Time will tell and I'll be watching this, closely.