Microsoft is open-sourcing .NET and bringing it to Linux and OS X

Microsoft made a shocking announcement earlier this week when it revealed its plans to open source the full server-side .NET core stack, according to Geek Wire. From there, the technology giant plans to take that open-sourced .NET core to Linux, Android, iOS, and OS X, areas that Microsoft has long considered to be enemy territory.

“With billions of devices in the market today, developers need tools that target many different form factors and platforms,” said S. Somasegar, corporate vice president at Microsoft’s Developer Division, as quoted by Mac Rumors. “Through Visual Studio and .NET we are committed to delivering a comprehensive end-to-end solution for developers to build and manage applications across multiple devices and platforms.”

“This significantly expands the choices developers have when finding the right tool to solve their problem,” said Brian McCallister, chief technology officer with Groupon, in Microsoft’s release announcing the change, as quoted by The Seattle Times.

This move is just the latest in a major strategy change that’s being pushed by the company’s newly-appointed CEO, Satya Nadella, in an attempt to reinvent the American technology giant. It appears as if Microsoft is finally embracing the reality that modern software and online services run atop a plethora of different operating systems, according to Wired. Windows no longer dominates the market to the extent that it once did.