why is skype still available for Linux

[VanillaMozilla]

Hi friends,
As far as I can recall MS never did anything for open source community.

Au contraire, it used to be that you couldn't write to an NTFS file system without risk. Microsoft helped fix that up.

[monkeybrain2012]

Hmm... this is an interesting fact. I thought Microsoft is kind of anti-linux but they are just money magnets no matter from where.

As the saying goes, he capitalist would sell you the rope to hang himself.

[cpatrick08]

Hi friends,
This question might sound little weird, but why is skype still available for Linux? Microsoft bought skype two years ago. As far as I can recall MS never did anything for open source community. I also don't think they did anything for Linux (especially after huge rumors that they are porting MS-Office to linux). So why is skype still available for linux?

Microsoft has contributed to the linux kernel. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...cal-linux-2632

[monkeybrain2012]

Microsoft has contributed to the linux kernel. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...cal-linux-2632

Only for hyper -v drivers, which are for running Linux in virtual machines under Windows, so it is kind of self serving. It is a way to keep entreprises on Windows which may otherwise migrate to Linux.

Moreover, according to wikipedia

"Microsoft was forced to submit the code when it was discovered that Microsoft had incorporated a Hyper-V network driver with GPL-licensed components statically linked to closed-source binaries"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper-V

[monkeybrain2012]

Au contraire, it used to be that you couldn't write to an NTFS file system without risk. Microsoft helped fix that up.

Well NTFS is MS's proprietary file system. How is it a contribution to the open source community?

[VanillaMozilla]

Well NTFS is MS's proprietary file system. How is it a contribution to the open source community?

The contributions are open source. I'm part of the community, and I use those contributions. Ergo, a contribution to the open source community.

[monkeybrain2012]

The contributions are open source. I'm part of the community, and I use those contributions. Ergo, a contribution to the open source community.

That may be convenient for you, but it is not a contribution to open source. You only need it for using Windows.

[buzzingrobot]

Microsoft is a business that makes business decisions. Skype for Linux is alive because they believe it's good for Microsoft. Office for Linux hasn't happened because Office is intended to be a product that keeps people on Windows, not encourage them to use Linux.

[VanillaMozilla]

That may be convenient for you, but it is not a contribution to open source. You only need it for using Windows.

ntfs is an old Linux project that was forked as ntfs-3g. ntfs-3g is cross-platform and licensed under the GNU GPL; the package is maintained by Ubuntu, so it most definitely is open-source.

Reading and writing to other file systems is a legitimate, useful, and sometimes essential part of Linux. I suppose you can try to get that changed if you want. And by the way, Microsoft helped make ntfs-3g possible, for which I am grateful.

[mamamia88]

Cause they make more money by people on linux paying to use it?