Re: SteamOS expanding to other PC Handhelds

On Sun, 25 Aug 2024 12:37:07 -0000 (UTC), kyonshi
<smaug@ereborbbs.duckdns.org> wrote:

I have been wondering the same. Windows seems more and more like a red-
headed step sibling to MS. It just isn't the moneymaker anymore, an
development likely is too expensive for not enough gain. The rest of the
world runs on unixoid systems, and stuff like that is slowly creeping into
Windows proper (see: the new Sudo for Windows function)

Microsoft is very much pushing towards Linux. Aside from the
aforementioned commands, there's an entire Linux subsystem that's been
added to Windows 11. There are reports that Microsoft is increasingly
using Linux internally, and that they are developing their own Linux
distro.

Whether this means that one day Microsoft will completely abandon the
NT kernel is unclear. But increasingly the number one computer
operating system used worldwide is Linux-based (Android). Microsoft is
no longer the dominates as an OS-developer anymore. So it is pivoting
to a world where its revenue is much less dependent both on OS sales,
and on having a home-field advantage of developing applications for
its own OS. Instead, Microsoft is pushing hard on it's (decades-long)
goal of moving towards becoming a 'software as a service' provider.
And in order to succeed, it needs to make sure its services run on as
many platforms as possible: not just desktop PCs, but tablets, phones,
servers, everything.

And right now, Linux has a huge multi-platform advantage. Microsoft
may never give up on Windows, but they're very clearly hedging their
bets. Microsoft is making sure that if they DO ultimately have to move
to Linux, both they and their customers will be able to make that
transition.