Microsoft announces the acquisition of the GitHub platform. But the giant promises to invest in free software.
Thunderblast in the world of free software: Microsoft officially acquires GitHub, for 7.5 billion dollars! The preferred platform of many developers joins the world's leading software publishing company. On paper, redemption might seem logical. But in practice, will the spirit of GitHub survive in the fold of Microsoft?
The rumor had been on the web for a few days. And it is now official: a statement from Microsoft (link in English) confirms the purchase of the cooperative software development platform. To justify the acquisition of GitHub, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, recalls that his company is primarily a company built developers. And he takes this opportunity to reiterate his commitment to "free, open and innovative development". It remains to be seen how this will translate into the facts.
For several years, Microsoft has hosted on GitHub several of its important projects. This is the case, for example, with the Visual Studio Code editor (see our article on the most popular GitHub project), the open source .NET framework, the Edge JavaScript engine or the Windows File Manager ... According to observers, more than 1,800 Microsoft projects are filed on GitHub.
In less than ten years, the platform has managed to establish itself as an essential service for IT developers. In 2017, more than 20 million developers collaborated regularly on GitHub. It is also this proximity with code professionals that Microsoft is recovering today. But on the platform, the community seems to be worried about a possible locking of projects or the end of the collaborative approach. It is true that the software giant is still struggling to get rid of its old reputation.
