From the "truth is stranger than fiction" genre: Microsoft has joined The Linux Foundation as a Platinum member.
The move signaled that Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), which has contributed to Linux in the past, wants to play a bigger role in open source communities. Despite its past contributions, Microsoft is well-known for its closed-source software and proprietary systems, but it has started to change its isolationist stripes.
"By becoming a Linux Foundation Platinum member, Microsoft is better able to collaborate with the open source community to deliver transformative mobile and cloud experiences to more people," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation, in a statement. "Microsoft has been a key contributor to many projects, and we see the company intensifying its involvement and commitment to open development."
The other Platinum members of the Linux Foundation are Cisco, Fujitsu, HPE, Huawei, IBM, Intel, NEC, Oracle, Qualcomm and Samsung.
Despite its past aversion to open source, and even further back, Linux, Microsoft can now insert itself into the various collaborative and innovative projects that are under way at the Linux Foundation .
"We want to help developers achieve more and capitalize on the industry’s shift toward cloud-first and mobile-first experiences using the tools and platforms of their choice," said Scott Guthrie, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise executive vice president, in a statement. "By collaborating with the community to provide open, flexible and intelligent tools and cloud services, we're helping every developer deliver unprecedented levels of innovation."
The news was announced Wednesday morning at Microsoft's Connect (): developer event in New York City. Also at the event, and somewhat surprising as well, Microsoft announced that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) had joined its .Net Foundation and will be part of its Technical Steering Group.
— Mike Robuck, Editor, Telco Transformation