http://www.inquisitr.com/2201984/miu...s-distro-soon/
June 26, 2015
Miux By Microsoft – Why Windows 10 Maker May Release Its Own Linux OS Distro Soon
Microsoft surprised the world by announcing the development and imminent launch of a Linux Operating System named Miux.
Microsoft Corporation, the maker of Windows Operating System, sent shockwaves in the tech community by announcing a new Linux OS ahead of Windows 10 release. Last year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had stated, “Microsoft loves Linux,” thereby raising quite a few eyebrows. As Windows OS still rules the PC market, it was unbelievable that the Redmond-based company would engage in actual development of a full-fledged Linux OS flavor, or as it is fondly referred to as “distro,” let alone release it for mainstream consumption.
Nadella announced the company plans on entering into desktop Linux world at Microsoft Ignite event in Chicago. The new Linux OS distro will be called Miux (pronounced as mix), clearly suggesting a marriage between Windows and Linux.
Nadella explained, “[T]his should not come as a surprise. Microsoft has always been one of the biggest contributors to Linux kernel. At Microsoft, we are trying to get rid of viruses and malware in Windows OS while Linux is struggling to get a decent share of desktop market share. I think this experiment will be a win-win for both Microsoft and Linux. Windows 10 has already taken several features from Linux, so we decided that it is time to move to next level and have a Linux distribution of own.”
Interestingly, Microsoft is an avid contributor to the Linux development. Moreover, it is not uncommon for Operating Systems to draw “inspiration” from popular competing products. Though Linux is nowhere close to competing with Windows, more specifically with Windows 10, it is a complete desktop OS and technically that’s a threat. Popularly assumed to be virus-free, Linux has always appealed to the geeky crowd. However, the majority of its users are large corporations who run their critical operations on back-end systems running Linux. Though Microsoft does have its own platforms for the companies, Linux continues to enjoy loyal customers.
Microsoft is trying to appeal to both the segments of Linux users. As expected, Miux will closely resemble the User Interface (UI) of Windows OS, confirmed Microsoft.
“Miux will have a new desktop environment which will make it look as close to Windows 10 as possible.”
Since Windows 10 is a unifying OS that will run on multiple hardware platforms, Miux will work seamlessly with Windows mobile OS as well. One of the highlights of the Linux distro is that it won’t hold you up while installing and configuring the updates at each start-up or shutdown.
But what’s surprising is the fact that the much talked-about new web browser Edge (previously known as Spartan) or the much-loathed Internet Explorer won’t be the default browsers. Instead, Microsoft is said to be working on a new web browser named Asterix for Miux.
So far, it’s not clear if Microsoft will charge for Miux, especially considering that Windows 10 is essentially free. However, the company may charge for its “enterprise version.” Microsoft may have tiered yearly subscriptions that would have to be bought on a per user basis.
Microsoft recently pulled a similar stunt with Android. Hence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the company may be trying to pull a fast one on us with a full-fledged Linux distro. But hey, who wouldn’t want a Linux distro that feels like Windows and is backed by Microsoft?