Microsoft is moving steadily ahead with its plan to enable

[horze]

Microsoft is preparing to enable Linux to run on its Windows Azure cloud platform. A test build of the coming Linux virtual-machine capability is slated for March, according to Mary Jo Foley.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/mic ... zure/11741

Microsoft is preparing to launch a new persistent virtual machine feature on its Azure cloud platform, enabling customers to host Linux, SharePoint and SQL Server there.

Microsoft is poised to enable customers to make virtual machines (VMs) persistent on Windows Azure, I’ve heard from a handful of my contacts who’ve asked not to be identified.
What does this mean? Customers who want to run Windows or Linux “durably” (i.e., without losing state) in VMs on Microsoft’s Azure platform-as-a-service platform will be able to do so. Microsoft is planning to launch a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test-build of the persistent VM capability in the spring of 2012, according to partners briefed by the company.
The new persistent VM support also will allow customers to run SQL Server or SharePoint Server in VMs, as well. And it will enable customers to more easily move existing apps to the Azure platform.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/mic ... -container

The Windows Interoperability Team at Microsoft has an immediate opening for a senior software development engineer. The purpose of this position is to become a key member of a highly specialized development team whose mission is to identify, define, scope, implement and drive to completion software projects that promote full, transparent interoperability between Windows and Linux in Microsoft virtual and cloud environments.

http://www.microsoft-careers.com/job/Re ... 2/1405401/

[Cool_Fire]

Read a related story on Wired earlier today:
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/20 ... ill-gates/

As the story goes, it was Bill Gates himself who made the decision to move into open source software.
And it's just a business move, as one would expect. In their Azure cloud system, they make money by billing for disk space, CPU cycles and bandwidth, not from licence fees. So offering a wider range of platforms just gives them a bigger market.