Microsoft called Linux a cancer, now ships its own free distro that's nothing like Ubuntu or Fedora

Key Points:

• Microsoft has released Azure Linux 4.0, an open-source Linux distribution derived from Fedora 43, designed specifically for cloud workloads on Azure and now available for public download and use.
• Azure Linux 4.0 is a minimal, text-based OS without a graphical interface, optimized for security and performance in cloud environments, differing significantly from general-purpose distros like Ubuntu or Fedora.
• The distribution uses Linux kernel 6.18 LTS, dnf5 package manager, and includes advanced features such as post-quantum cryptography support in OpenSSL 3.5, with FIPS 140-3 certification expected by general availability later in 2026.
• Azure Linux originated from Microsoft’s internal CBL-Mariner project and powers major services like Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure SQL, with notable enterprise users including LinkedIn and Databricks.
• Microsoft aims to control the full OS stack on Azure, offering a consistent environment for development and production, particularly integrating with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), but Azure Linux 4.0 remains primarily targeted at cloud workloads rather than general desktop use.