Much is said about Microsoft's love of Linux, or at least supposed love. The truth is that Microsoft is quite involved in the Linux world, more than it has ever been, and its hatred has calmed down to open its mind, and not only its mind, but also its code, since Microsoft has published important projects like open source, besides creating some programs for GNU / Linux.
I insist, that love may not be such, and everything exploded when the media announced that Microsoft had created its own Linux distribution, I'm talking about the SONIC project, an operating system for network devices that the Redmond company created last year. But if the project is analyzed carefully, we can deduce that SONIC is not a Linux distribution, despite what many think. However, this does not mean that one day there will be or that Microsoft will not surprise with more projects for Linux.
SONIC or Open Network In the Cloud Software It is used in network devices such as switches, but is it really a Linux distro that Microsoft has created? The answer is no, SONiC is rather a Linux application, that is, Microsoft uses Linux on which it runs SONIC. SONIC is therefore a set of pieces that make up a complete puzzle and that gives life to numerous network hardware devices from various manufacturers.
Conclusion, SONIC requires Linux, but it is not a Linux distribution. SONIC is open source, but it is not a GNU Linux. SONIC is a set of software components that require a Linux distribution (specifically it works on Debian, perhaps now a story that came to the fore before SONIC was launched, where Microsoft was present at a Debian event and offered training courses for it) on which to run ...
Well, deep down I still like the idea, maybe even more than before, Microsoft developing on Linux instead of developing Linux. I don't know if the nuance is noticeable, I honestly like it better, because that implies that they accept that Linux is a solid base on which to work and build.
Basically because Linux is just the kernel. It is like Android, it uses Linux but it is not a Linux distribution.
This article is a bit far-fetched, it is not given more by the hatred of Microsoft ...
Elaborate? I don't think so ... on the contrary, this is a free software and Linux blog, sometimes we talk about proprietary software companies for things we don't like, but lately the news we do from Microsoft is quite positive, precisely because of the change in mentality that has been in Microsoft.
It would be like saying that Ubuntu is not Linux because all they do is catch a Debian, customize it and add applications
If they compile the SONIC system it is a Linux, with its applications, even if they like some
If what they do is compile the application on top of a Linux compiled by another then maybe it could be said that SONIC is not a Linux