Why Microsoft's Linux lovefest goes hand-in-hand with its Azure cloud strategy

What a difference 15 years makes. A little over 15 years ago to this month, Microsoft's then-CEO Steve Ballmer called Linux a "cancer" due to intellectual property concerns at the time. It's a commonly-held belief that #Microsoft was at war with #Linux as a result of the threat Linux posed to Windows Server. However, 15 years later, Microsoft's vice president of the Data Group, Joseph Sirosh, demoed SQL Server 2016 on Linux at the #RedHat Summit. We'll get into the details of the demo shortly, but first it's important to understand Microsoft's focus on #Azure and Linux, and how they influence the company's data center strategy.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-microsofts-linux-lovefest-goes-hand-in-hand-with-its-azure-cloud-strategy/