Just the idea that Windows could be considered a Linux distro would have been outrageous and one laughed at and ridiculed, but look where we are in 2025. A decade ago, Windows and Linux were located on two very different sides of a vast canyon, but they share many similarities thanks to a slow and quiet drift toward the free and open source platform. Behind the scenes, however, Microsoft has never been one to outright side against what Linux offers and stands for. The company uses Linux, develops for the penguin mascot system, and even promotes its existence in places.

There won't be a time when Windows eventually becomes a flat-out Linux distro, akin to Linux Mint or Ubuntu, but it could certainly continue absorbing Linux-esque components, behaviors, and tools, and the gap between the two could continue to shrink.

Windows is old and bloated

From hero to zero

"Developers! Developers! Developers!" ex-Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, would chant on stage. Writing code for apps and beyond, these incredibly talented individuals are working more closely in cross-platform environments with centralized, Linux-first ecosystems. I'm not talking desktop here. Linux continues to struggle to attract first-party support for many of the larger software solutions, including Adobe's Creative Cloud suite, but Linux is predominantly used on servers around the world. Windows isn't typically at the forefront of a developer's mind when considering dev ops.

Even Azure, Microsoft's successful cloud platform, mostly runs Linux workloads. This could be largely attributed to the immense technical debt Windows continues to drag along between major versions. Windows 11 has come a long way in feeling considerably more responsive than before, but the underlying subsystems are still largely outdated with legacy Win32 and NT kernel. Everything needs to be backward compatible to solve the issue of large organizations upgrading systems only to find their chosen software is no longer compatible. Linux solves this through modularity.

It's an interesting situation for Microsoft to find its flagship OS in. Not only do you have considerable obstacles for developers to overcome on the backend, but the UI and UX are also flawed for end users. Have you attempted to set up a new Windows 11 installation from scratch recently? You need a Microsoft account. Fancy an Office 365 subscription? How about some telemetry with your PC to send data to Microsoft and show more relevant advertisements? It's not an OS that gets out of the way and lets you crack on with the task at hand. It's not a problem that can be easily solved either.

Windows is perceived as bloated by most parties who rely on it, forcing Microsoft to consider ways to overcome this shortfall without breaking something that causes outrage elsewhere. It's why I always tend to steer clear of Windows as much as I can. So long as there's an alternative on Linux I can make do with, that's one fewer reason I have to boot up Microsoft's OS and deal with its intricacies. But even I can admit that it isn't all bad, and Microsoft has made some positive moves lately.

Microsoft loves Linux

It's a weird and wonderful friendship

You've often seen the term "sudo" used for running commands on Linux with elevated permissions, but did you know there is now sudo within Windows? It's no longer an emblem of Linux and UNIX privilege models, since Microsoft now offers similar functionality directly with its own OS offering. This is massive since it not only shows Microsoft is looking at ways to improve various parts of the OS, but these improvements could be inspired by (or outright taken from) Linux. Elevated processes and normal processes still have a slightly awkward gap between them, but at least sudo provides a predictable method.

It's handy for anyone who dabbles or uses Linux and Windows within a multi-OS environment, which is still fairly common today within the Linux community, with people relying on Windows for native game support and Linux for everything else. It's also great for developers who write software for both platforms and are more accustomed to UNIX flows. Gone are the days when Microsoft would force everyone to adhere to Windows paradigms. It's no longer acceptable in 2025 to be viewed as a dinosaur and not encounter any drawbacks. We're seeing this through Windows, more openly adopting Linux-like features.

A huge leap forward for Windows and Linux was the introduction and integration of the Linux kernel with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Originally launched as a system-call translation layer for running code through Windows that was developed for other platforms, WSL has transformed into a Microsoft-maintained Linux kernel running in a lightweight virtual machine (VM), essentially providing a Linux instance natively through Windows with very little system overhead (outside of running Windows itself). WSL2 changed the game, offering full compatibility with Linux software.

Performance is pretty good, and Microsoft did a top job with launching and further developing WSL as a feature, even going as far as to offer seamless filesystem integration and symlink support. Using Linux in this way effectively relegates Windows to nothing more than a glorified Linux host - somewhere to park your VM. It's the best of both worlds. Run Linux almost natively within Windows, which in turn allows for all Windows-supported software to be run outside of the WSL shell.

A more open Microsoft

There's closed source and then there's open source

Looking at the success of VS Code, TypeScript, PowerShell, and even .NET Core. All of these Microsoft projects are largely open source or at least have some resemblance to open development. Microsoft has even contributed filesystem and driver patches to the Linux kernel and not just one running within WSL, but the actual kernel relied upon by the countless Linux distros. This isn't solely Microsoft being generous and open, since Azure relies on Linux, and this can focus Microsoft to more align with Linux, requiring some code to be submitted to keep everything working flawlessly.

WSL isn't the only place to see this development either. Windows Terminal is heavily influenced by open source standards, and one could even argue that Windows itself was inspired by other software. We're seeing a push with Kubernetes, Docker, and general container tools, particularly on Linux systems. These are all Linux-first, and Windows doesn't really have a viable alternative, forcing Microsoft to integrate Linux container support to stay competitive with its commercial OS. Speaking of commercial licensing, even using Windows without paying to activate the OS is much easier than before.

The issue with Windows is that Microsoft could never rewrite the OS. There are too many parties involved. Too many large players prefer stability over the latest and greatest streamlined features. It's why Microsoft is partly hesitant to make any changes to Windows that could affect this delicate balance between old and new. The downside to this approach is that it continues holding the OS back. Microsoft isn't out, however, and its development with WSL and other features shows how it can take an open philosophy and integrate it into Windows. So, where do we go from here?

It's a slow, gradual change

Win32 isn't going anywhere anytime soon, the NT kernel won't suddenly be replaced by Linux, and Microsoft will no doubt continue to make some questionable changes to Windows, but I have a feeling we'll see a more Linux-like experience for the OS. I can absolutely envision Windows with broader WS2 integration, native support for Linux filesystems, containers, enhanced terminal features, and more kernel modules. At least for power users and developers, Linux could well become the underlying system, leaving Windows to handle what's displayed on screen.

How Microsoft continues to use Linux to shape the future of Windows will be interesting to see, especially from a Linux standpoint.