Microsoft has announced supporting the addition of its exFAT technology to the Linux kernel. Microsoft developed exFAT technology is a file system used in Windows along with a variety of storage devices like USB flash drives and SD cards.
“It’s important to us that the Linux community can make use of exFAT included in the Linux kernel with confidence. To this end, we will be making Microsoft’s technical specification for exFAT publicly available to facilitate development of conformant, interoperable implementations, “wrote John Gossman, Microosft Distinguished Engineer & Linux Foundation Board Member in a blog post.
“We also support the eventual inclusion of a Linux kernel with exFAT support in a future revision of the Open Invention Network’s Linux System Definition, where, once accepted, the code will benefit from the defensive patent commitments of OIN’s 3040+ members and licensees,” he added.
With this move, Microsoft has traversed a long way in its open source journey, which started with it joining The Linux Foundation in November 2016. The Linux Foundation extended its appreciation with the tweet below:
The Linux Foundation is pleased to see Microsoft’s open source evolution extending to support inclusion of exFAT in both the Linux® kernel and the Open Invention Network’s Linux System Definition. https://t.co/DAMOUCzZUs
— The Linux Foundation (@linuxfoundation) August 28, 2019
Also read: Microsoft Teams is coming to Linux
Microsoft has previously open-sourced a number of its technologies and tools, including but not limited to TypeScript, .NET compliler, Xamarin and more.
