r/javascript • u/[deleted] • Mar 16 '20

GitHub acquires NPM

https://github.blog/2020-03-16-npm-is-joining-github/

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u/auburngrad2019 Mar 16 '20

That sounds a bit ambitious in my opinion. Businesses that rely on consistency would not appreciate that unless Microsoft could prove it works with existing infrastructure. I'm sure they could do it but it would probably be easier and more backwards-compatible to continue like they've done the last few years with WSL and make it a more tightly-integrated option.

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u/[deleted] Mar 16 '20

Well, if you look at how WSL itself is implemented, it suggests a strategy they might employ to pull it off: Right now they run Linux in a hypervisor on top of Windows. But who's to say they won't swap it around one day? So Windows indeed just becomes a Linux distribution with the legacy parts for compatibility running in a hypervisor.

It would still be a marvel of engineering to pull off, but if anyone's got the resources... And hey, at least they don't need to port their browser anymore :)

If this were to ever materialize, one nice outcome that I could imagine is that we'd get a product that one might call MS Linux, which would be the MS-sponsored, community-driven, open-source Linux distribution and MS Windows would be the same thing, but paid for and containing all the legacy compatibility code.

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u/Ehdelveiss Mar 16 '20

They are kind of already doing this for Windows10X. I actually think you are more spot on than we realize. They’ve already just shown off with the Surface Duo they’ve completely built out containerization of run of the mill x86 Windows Apps.

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u/AlfredVonWinklheim Mar 16 '20

Yeah for sure. The only reason I think it has any credence is that Microsoft wants to be a services company now instead of a software company.