Microsoft announced the release of Teams for Linux. Microsoft has released teams in both .deb and .rpm formats to cover popular releases of desktop Linux like Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat, and Linuxmint. I would like to see Microsoft release a version for FreeBSD next I think that would be fun.

Slack which is Team’s biggest competitor is available on Linux so I am not surprised to see Microsoft release Teams for Linux as Microsoft is trying to align Teams features with what Slack is offering. Microsoft has been pushing hard with open source over the last few years. The app looks identical to what is available on Windows and macOS. Microsoft is bringing Teams to Linux as part of a bigger push to align Teams as its hub for Office365 and teamwork in a mixed environment.

Jim Zemlin the Executive Director at The Linux Foundation had this to say on Microsofts blog

“2019 has been another incredible year in open source, and Linux continues to be at the heart of all the growth and innovation. I’m really excited about the availability of Microsoft Teams for Linux. With this announcement, Microsoft is bringing its hub for teamwork to Linux. I’m thrilled to see Microsoft’s recognition of how companies and educational institutions alike are using Linux to transform their work culture.”

I agree with this move by Microsoft you can never go wrong being your software to more users especially developers who mostly use desktop Linux.