https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

Open Source


The Linux and Windows Ecosystems are Converging Heres Why It Matters

The Linux and Windows Ecosystems are Converging. Here’s Why It Matters

  • Written by Christopher Tozzi
  • January 11, 2017
Linux and Windows are increasingly similar to one another. That means organizations have to embrace them together, rather than thinking of Linux and Windows as an either/or choice.

Windows is starting to look a lot like Linux — and vice versa. As the feature sets and use cases for these two operating systems converge, the line separating the Windows and Linux ecosystems is disappearing. Here’s why, and what it means for the channel.

Until a few years ago, there was little question that Windows and Linux were different worlds. They ran different types of apps: You couldn’t host IIS on Linux, for example, and you couldn’t run Docker on Windows. They required different skill sets and certifications. Companies that specialized in software or support for one type of operating system did not typically work with the other one.

The Converging Linux and Windows Ecosystems

Yet in many — though not all — ways, this situation has changed markedly in just a few years. Consider the following:

  • You can now run Bash — the command-line environment that most Linux systems use by default — on Windows. That means people with Linux CLI experience can put their skills to work on Windows, too. It also makes it easier for Windows admins to manage apps designed for Linux.
  • Docker now runs natively on Windows, too. That’s a big deal as the Docker ecosystem explodes.
  • If you run Windows in the cloud — even if you use Azure, Microsoft’s public cloud service — it’s easy to run Windows and Linux servers alongside one another. Azure features robust support for all of the mainstream Linux distributions.
  • Virtualization technologies like VMware and KVM are now very mature. They make the experience of running a Windows virtual server on a Linux host, or a Linux virtual server on a Windows host, seamless.
  • Microsoft’s declaration of its “love” for open source has made it easier for the open source community to embrace the Windows world. Sure, some Linux fans still fear Redmond, and not everyone is truly in love with open source. But by and large, relations between the Windows and Linux ecosystems are much more peaceable today than they were for most of these operating systems’ histories.

These changes do not mean that the boundary separating Windows from Linux has totally disappeared. Important differences remain, at both technical and cultural levels. Most applications are not binary-compatible between the two operating systems. The design, philosophy and motives of the communities that develop them vary.

By and large, however, it’s hard to see Windows and Linux as the polar opposites they once were. For the channel, that means that it’s time to stop thinking of Linux and Windows as an either/or proposition. Increasingly, you need to be ready to engage the communities and partner ecosystems surrounding each of these platforms.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Open Source

Related


  • cloud data
    Your Cloud Data Is Protected, But Is It Portable?
    Why flexibility and containerization are the new must-haves for cloud data.
  • Spinoff Company
    IBM Names CEO of New Managed Services Spinoff
    The former IBM CFO is well-known to those within NewCo.
  • JEDI lightsaber
    AWS Still Chasing JEDI, Blasts Trump Administration Again
    AWS still wants to get JEDI from Microsoft. And there’s a new alliance in town. Plus, an update from iXsystems.
  • CEO Andy Jassy during keynote at AWS reInvent 2020
    AWS Partners Flooded with New Capabilities, Opportunities at re:Invent
    Channel head Doug Yeum introduced services, competencies and more ways for the channel to team with the cloud provider.

One comment

  1. Avatar Nils January 16, 2017 @ 9:55 am
    Reply

    Recently I have been forced
    Recently I have been forced to use Windows in a project. There is a huge problem with Windows become sort of compatible with a GNU/Linux ecosystem since it will slow adoption of fully open ecosystems. If you can “sort of” get an application to work on your workstation running Windows then there is little need to migrate away from applications that aren’t cross platform, which means your staff can’t work with the OS they prefer.

    As such, I’m spending quite some extra time to make the tools I develop also “sort of” run with Windows, which usually involves either elaborate vagrant setups or docker. Docker doesn’t work well with Windows when running Linux containers since these are started in a Virtual Machine (true for boot2docker and the Hyper-V version), which usually means trouble with Volumes. These problems are solvable, but it also means more complex software and less time spent working on production features.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Dell Technologies Expands PowerProtect Portfolio, Embraces Data Protection Priorities
  • Wipro, Navisite, 2nd Watch Bolster Cloud Service Portfolios
  • IBM Cloud for Telecommunications to Rely on Integrators Right Away
  • WANdisco Partners Get First Formalized Partner Program

Galleries

View all

New, Changing Partner Programs: AWS, Tech Data, Avaya, Verizon

January 11, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

Cyberattacks: Threat Hunters Conquer Unpredictability with 3 Measures

January 21, 2021

The Right Data Migration Tool Helps Schools Move to Cloud During COVID Crisis

January 19, 2021

Cloud-Based CRM: What SMBs Need to Know about Backup and Recovery

January 19, 2021

Webinars

View all

Who’s Behind the Mask? Hacker Personas Explained

January 26, 2021

Your Network Perimeter Has Changed

February 18, 2021

How Managed Hosting Providers Thrive with the Alternative Cloud

February 24, 2021

White Papers

View all

Why Subscription Business Model

January 15, 2021

The Ultimate MSP Guide to Sales Efficiency

January 14, 2021

Eight Reasons Why MSPs Need IT Industry-Specific Sales Tools

January 14, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

#MSPs can inject predictability into #threathunting @Sophos #cybersecurity #ransomware dlvr.it/Rr4ffV https://t.co/Bztc2Yxwvc

January 22, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@RiskBased report shows decrease in #databreaches, jump in exposed records in 2020. dlvr.it/Rr4fcW https://t.co/PYiDMiJFbt

January 22, 2021
ChannelFutures

Legal experts say @VMware's #lawsuit against @nutanix's new CEO holds little weight. dlvr.it/Rr48FJ https://t.co/oLxPhgvgAt

January 21, 2021
ChannelFutures

bit.ly/2Y0kFZh twitter.com/Craig_Galbrait…

January 21, 2021
ChannelFutures

Our latest #Cybersecurity Roundup features @BitSight and @kovrrIns, @Vectra_AI and @AppOmniSecurity,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@solarwinds hackers target @Malwarebytes, impacting internal emails. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RqzkZp https://t.co/aWqLjCCW9y

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@citrix $2.25 deal to acquire @wrike expands @CitrixPartners network into collaborative work management.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Carbonite Migrate uses real-time replication to move workloads to #cloud with minimal risk and near-zero downtime… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X