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Remembering what the view was like when I started this job, I must admit that I was gratified, surprised, and encouraged to see that Microsoft has now posted a tutorial on how to install Linux.
Dear Reader,
Remembering what the view was like when I started this job, I must admit that I was gratified, surprised, and encouraged to see that Microsoft has now posted a tutorial on how to install Linux [1]. It is hard to believe that Ol' Redmond has finally beaten the sword of FUD into the plowshare of documentation. At least, it would have been hard for me to believe back then, but the change has been a slow and gradual march. Microsoft has supported Linux in its Azure cloud for a few years now, and I can't believe this is their first Linux how-to. CEO Satya Nadella is known for famously stating "Microsoft Loves Linux." Is that where we are right now? Well, maybe, but it's worth remembering that there are many different kinds of love.
It is also good to remember that Microsoft wouldn't be Microsoft if they didn't sneaky it up a bit. That's what they always do. In this case, the instructions describe four ways to install Linux, including bare metal and virtual machine options, but the "most simple way to install Linux" according to Microsoft, is to use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The WSL method is also the first one they describe – the definitive, best-case scenario. In other words, they make the assertion (without qualification) that the "simplest" way to install Linux is to run it from inside a running Windows system.
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