What is going on here? Did I misread that? No, everyone's favorite Microsoft, whose boss once called Linux a "cancer", is now releasing software for the free operating system.
That immediately brings Linux Torvalds to mind.
"If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won." — Linus Torvalds
Now that we have won the war, we can of course give the software a try. The software can be downloaded from the specially created site https://code.visualstudio.com/.
Download
The download is a ZIP file that simply needs to be unpacked. In theory, the tool should run on all common distributions. A download via a package manager may be too much to ask at the beginning. :-)
After unpacking, you can simply launch the editor using the "Code" binary. Instructions for setting it up on Windows, Linux, and MacOS are available in the Docs.
First launch
On first launch, developers are greeted by what I find to be a rather attractive and uncluttered tool.
As you can see, it can also display PHP correctly, for example. Basic code completion is available too. Broadly speaking, the editor is based on technologies from GitHub and Chromium.
Conclusion
Right now, it really looks as though Microsoft is opening up to the market quite a bit. Why shouldn't there be an Office suite for Linux too? I am curious to see what else awaits us in the future. The market has changed, and Microsoft has to adapt as well. But better this than a smear campaign. Anyone who creates good software should be allowed to earn money from it too. I would also buy a program from Microsoft if it provided the necessary added value.