Microsoft just released Azure Linux 4.0, their very own Fedora-derived, RPM-based server distribution. But that’s not all—they also dropped Azure Container Linux, Coreutils for Windows, and a $5,000+ AI workstation with native Linux GPU passthrough. Is Microsoft truly embracing open source, or are we witnessing the beginning of a new Embrace, Extend, Extinguish strategy?
In this deep dive, I break down exactly what Microsoft announced at Build 2026, the technical specs of Azure Linux 4.0 (including DNF5, Linux 6.18 LTS, and post-quantum cryptography), and what this means for competitors like Red Hat and Canonical. As a sysadmin with 25 years of IT experience, I’ll give you my honest assessment of whether you should trust Microsoft’s Linux on your Azure infrastructure.
This trick may have been patched as of 25H2. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/windows11/why-oobebypassnro-not-working-for-windows-11-25h2/4465864
Although, for Pro, I don’t know why you wouldn’t just select “domain join instead” during setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=57&v=qHxeZr7Pi6c
EDIT: I know the point was you don’t need an M$ account, but MicroSlop is making it harder to refuse getting one.
I’ll test that today then to see which version shipped on that Lenovo.