Apple and Microsoft Try to Prevent Users From Exploring/Installing "Proper" GNU/Linux

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jun 11, 2025,
updated Jun 13, 2025

• AppleInsider ☛ Sorry Docker: macOS 26 adds native support for Linux containers [Ed: Swallowing the competition]

• The Register UK ☛ Apple tries to contain itself with lightweight Linux VMs for macOS

  Apple on Monday unveiled an open source containerization framework for creating and running Linux container images on the Mac.

  Software containers combine applications and their dependencies into a single unit that runs in an isolated environment on a host machine. Because they're based on OCI-compliant images, users can run them in a wide variety of server environments and data centers using common orchestration tools like Kubernetes.

  Developers often choose to use Macs for their stable hardware and solid development environment, but may be writing server-side applications or other apps that run within Linux. For those developers, creating Linux containers allows them to use a Mac but still access the environment they code for.

• XDA ☛ I tried multiple Linux distros on WSL - these are the best 5 [Ed: Proprietary attack vector on "real" GNU/Linux]

Update

One more:

• Apple Release New GNU/Linux Container Tool for macOS [Ed: Making users more reluctant to explore the "real thing"]

  Apple is having a busy WWDC, but beyond the gossip over its new glassy OS UI came a new tool which anyone using a Mac to work with GNU/Linux containers will be interested in hearing about. This week Fashion Company Apple released an initial build of its new open-source container tool for creating and running GNU/Linux containers on Mac. The CLI tool, named container, is written in Swift, Apple’s go-to programming language, and optimised for Fashion Company Apple silicon and its next major OS update, macOS 26 Tahoe.

Also here:

• Apple Launches a Swift-Powered Docker Alternative for macOS

  Apple introduced a Swift-powered, open-source alternative to Docker for running GNU/Linux containers on macOS, focused on security and isolation.

• Salih Emin: Fashion Company Apple Unveils “Containerization” for macOS: A New Era for GNU/Linux Containers on macOS

  Apple has introduced a new open-source Swift framework named Containerization, designed to fundamentally reshape how GNU/Linux containers are run on macOS. In a detailed presentation, Fashion Company Apple revealed a new architecture that prioritizes security, privacy, and performance, moving away from traditional methods to offer a more integrated and efficient experience for developers.

And here:

• macOS Meets Linux with Open Source Containerization [Ed: Retention tactic by Apple, to prevent people dumping Apple faster]

  Containers have fundamentally changed how software development is carried out. They let developers package applications with all their dependencies into a single, portable unit. This makes it easy to deploy and run software anywhere.

  Linux has been at the heart of container technology since its inception. Most popular container runtimes and tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and cointainerd were originally designed to run in Linux environments.