This is the height of bad reporting, or perhaps false marketing by Microsoft. Linux is not coming to Windows. The Linux kernel cannot come to Windows without being encapsulated by a hypervisor. Also, a computer running two kernels simultaneously would actually be worse than a computer running Windows.

GNU is coming to Windows. The Bash shell, and various open source tool chains will natively run on Windows. What does that mean? I can't be sure, because the current set of communication on the matter is so poor. I'd assume that these libraries would be interacting with the OS without a translation layer like cygwin/mingw.

Which could only mean that full POSIX compatibility is coming to Windows. Which is a big deal because Windows is the only major POSIX incompatible OS out there. But Linux is not UNIX, and POSIX compatibility is not the same thing as running Linux.

Also, GPL. How Microsoft could graft the kernel into their OS without the whole thing being a steaming GPL mess is beyond me.

1. This is one of those occasional posts that remind people that I'm a Linux nerd and an engineer. So don't act all surprised.

2. Correct me if I'm wrong. Even Slashdot doesn't have a proper discussion on the topic. I don't have Windows in my life any more, but people in my life have Windows in their lives. Bash on their computers might encourage me to help them with their computer problems occasionally.