Microsoft Is Bringing The Linux Command Line To Windows 10

Microsoft is launching the Linux Bash shell command line on Windows 10, partnering with Canonical to bring ‘Ubuntu on Windows’ to its operating system.

“The Bash shell is coming to Windows. Yes, the real Bash is coming to Windows,” exclaimed Microsoft’s Kevin Gallo at Microsoft’s Build 2016 keynote yesterday.

The new features will arrive with the Anniversary Update to Windows 10 due this summer.

Odd?

Canonical’s Dustin Kirkland said on a blog post yesterday: I’m in San Francisco this week, attending Microsoft’s Build developer conference, as a sponsored guest of Microsoft.

“That’s perhaps a bit odd for me, as I hadn’t used Windows in nearly 16 years. But that changed a few months ago, as I embarked on a super secret (and totally mind boggling!) project between Microsoft and Canonical, as unveiled today in a demo during Kevin Gallo‘s opening keynote of the Build conference….”

Microsoft has never reached out to Linux developers in a way like this before, and speaks volumes about Microsoft’s refreshed commitment to open-sourcery.

Head of Canonical, Mark Shuttleworth, called the announcement a milestone that “defies convention”.

“In our journey to bring free software to the widest possible audience, this is not a moment we could have predicted,” he said.

“Nevertheless we are delighted to stand behind Ubuntu for Windows, committed to addressing the needs of Windows developers exploring Linux in this amazing new way, and excited at the possibilities heralded by this unexpected turn of events.”

You can watch a more detailed explanation of the Linux inclusion below:

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