The growing perception in the tech community that “Microsoft loves Linux” may be just an oversimplification of the complex relationship Redmond shares with the open-source community. At least that’s what a new FossBoss report is hinting at.
The report claims that Microsoft has banned Linux on a number of Windows PCs clubbed into the category of Signature Edition.
(The Signature Edition are machines designed to provide users the cleanest Windows experience on the market.)
Signature Edition PCs are configured to run Windows 10 with no bloatware or other pre-installed apps. Also, the OS is fine-tuned to extract optimal performance from the host machine.
However, if we are to go by the FlossBoss report, it’s not just bloatware, but the software giant has made it impossible for even Linux to be installed on these PCs.
Apparently, Microsoft accomplished this by locking the SSD in a proprietary RAID mode that can only be accessed by Windows.
The Lenovo Yoga 900 ISK2 UltraBook could be a good example to demonstrate this new strategy by Microsoft.
The Yoga 900 ISK2 UltraBook, which comes with Windows 10 pre-installed, has the same mechanism in place to prevent the installation of Linux, claims Reddit user BaronHK. Upon contacting Lenovo for an explanation, BaronHK learned that the company had an agreement with Microsoft to make this happen.
“This system has a Signature Edition of Windows 10 Home installed. It is locked per our agreement with Microsoft,” a Lenovo employee responded in a reply to a comment made by BaronHK.
However, there are also reports that not all Signature Edition Windows 10 PCs come with this restriction. So the information we have thus far seems somewhat vague.
Microsoft is yet to come up with an explanation to the whole controversy, and until it does, maybe we should refrain from taking these reports on the face value.