[clug] CBL-Mariner is not a Linux desktop. Like Azure Sphere, Microsoft's first specialized Linux distro, which is used for securing edge computing services, it's a server-side Linux

[George at Clug]

For those who remember...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish
"Embrace, extend, and extinguish" (EEE),[1] also known as "embrace, extend, and exterminate", is a phrase that the U.S. Department of Justice found that was used internally by Microsoft to describe its strategy for entering product categories involving widely used standards, extending those standards with proprietary capabilities, and then using those differences in order to strongly disadvantage its competitors.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-released-cbl-mariner-linux-distro
Microsoft said in the CBL-Mariner repository on GitHub that it's "an internal Linux distribution for Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure and edge products and services" that was "designed to provide a consistent platform for these devices and services" and "enhance Microsoft’s ability to stay current on Linux updates" moving forward.

https://www.computing.co.uk/news/4034680/microsoft-releases-cbl-mariner-linux-distribution-cloud-edge


https://www.reviewgeek.com/92661/microsofts-new-linux-distro-is-a-warning-shot-at-red-hat/
Microsoft’s New Linux Distro Is a Warning Shot at Red Hat
It’s too early to say that Microsoft will definitely go in this direction yet, but it’s making all the right moves to enter the Linux Enterprise space. And possibly own it. Companies like Red Hat should probably take notice.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/say-hi-to-microsofts-own-linux-cbl-mariner/
CBL-Mariner is not a Linux desktop. Like Azure Sphere, Microsoft's first specialized Linux distro, which is used for securing edge computing services, it's a server-side Linux.

CBL-Mariner is built around the idea that you only need a small common core set of packages to address the needs of cloud and edge services. If you need more, CBL-Mariner also makes it easy to layer on additional packages on top of its common core. Once that's done, its simple build system easily enables you to create RPM packages from SPEC and source files. Or, you can also use it to create ISOs or Virtual hard disk (VHD) images.

As you'd expect the basic CBL-Mariner is a very lightweight Linux. You can use it as a container or a container host. With its limited size also comes a minimal attack surface. This also makes it easy to deploy security patches to it via RPM. Its designers make a particular point of delivering the latest security patches and fixes to its users. For more about its security features see CBL-Mariner's GitHub security features list.


https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner/blob/1.0/toolkit/docs/security/security-features.md


https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner