Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who previous called Linux “a cancer,” thinks the open-source Windows alternative has improved a lot lately and is now “in the rearview mirror,” becoming a stronger rival for Redmond’s operating system.
Speaking during an event organized by Fortune magazine, Ballmer explained that the threat from Linux is increasing and pointed out that he’s very pleased with Microsoft’s increased focus on the platform.
Recently, the software giant announced that it would release a Linux version of its SQL Server, and Ballmer says that he emailed the current CEO Satya Nadella to congratulate him for this decision.
Looking back at the early days when Windows competed against Linux, Steve Ballmer says he thinks Microsoft coped with that challenge very well and “it’s been incredibly important to the company’s revenue stream” to keep Windows the dominant operating system on the desktop.
“The company made a ton of money by fighting that battle very well,” he was quoted as saying by
Reuters.
