It certainly takes chutzpah for Microsoft to turn around and embrace Linux in their latest Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC), a port of Debian's GNU/Linux.

Chutzpah?  Because, I don't know about you, but, I have a long memory that's why.

Microsoft's Actions Speak Louder Than Words

First, came the media report of Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer stating Linux is a cancer.

Then, came Microsoft's Get the Facts campaign against Linux.

Then Microsoft made a public statement regarding some 235 specific patent infringements in Linux.

It was a public relations tactic designed to alter CIOs' perception of Linux.  In other words, "if you were thinking about using Linux in the Enterprise, don't do it", was the message.

It worked and was enough to hold Linux's penetration into the data center for just a few years.

And, Microsoft never specified in detail which patents were infringed by Linux.

It was a dirty tactic for certain.

Red Hat Linux Prevails

But the above did not deter commercial Linux development.

Red Hat Linux has made significant strides in year over year sales growth and expansion around the World, competing 'head to head' with Microsoft Windows.

Head to head, because Red Hat saw fit to take the entire .NET framework and port the API using JBoss:

Corporate Enterprises taking advantage of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) can run Windows clients from the data center as virtual machines (VMs) without the requirement of a Windows Active Directory server or Windows Terminal Server.  All APIs are emulated via SPICE thin client emulation software.

The result?  Users of RHEV and RHEL don't need the expense and 'lock-in' cost of licensing Microsoft's server software.  And the client licensed 'seats' can run in the data center with just solid state SPICE terminals in place at the user's workspace.

Using Linux Reduces Cost of Operation

Thus, there's no need to do continual hardware refreshes every 3-5 years.  CFOs know, those refreshes exact the cost of additional licenses plus the cost of the fat client cpu hardware, whereas licenses of RHEV windows seats can be repurposed to anywhere in the Enterprise's AD organizational departmental structure at no additional cost.

This equates to a major reduction in annual cost for break/fix call support of traditional fat client Windows.  Because the user's SPICE workstations are thin client solid state with no moving parts the user Windows Desktop 'experience' is the same as traditional fat client.

Microsoft Windows' Days are Numbered

So, you see, really, this is what Microsoft doesn't want CIOs to know.  Instead, they trot out an announcement that they will port Debian Linux as a network technology solution (routers running Linux are common place).

At this stage of the game, most CIOs know Microsoft Windows' days are numbered and are looking for ways to transition away from the 'lock-in' with proprietary software.

Microsoft is desperate to extend the life cycle of Microsoft Windows, so much so, that they have chosen to offer it for free with version 10.

Windows 10 is an utter security sieve and Microsoft partners with the NSA to gather metadata regarding end-users' activities.

We should not forget also how Microsoft's methodical 'extend, embrace, extinguish' destroyed the businesses of both Novell and Nokia, yes?

Yes.  So which is it Microsoft?  Love?  Hate?  What?

You aren't fooling anybody.  -- Dietrich