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Microsoft's SQL database software now runs on Linux
Remember when Steve Ballmer likened Linux to cancer, and the notion of Microsoft courting the open source crowd was virtually unimaginable? The company has come a long, long way since then. Microsoft has unveiled a version of SQL Server, a flagship database program, for Linux. That's right -- you can get a major Microsoft data center app without having to touch Windows. The company is even working with the creators of key Linux distributions (such as Red Hat and Ubuntu maker Canonical) to get the program running smoothly. SQL Server for Linux won't officially ship until mid-2017, but there's already a preview for corporations that want a peek.
Microsoft puts on an 'infinite' light show to make data pretty
If you're Microsoft, how do you convince people that data is more than just a dry set of charts and graphs? You put on one heck of a light show, that's what. The company recently marked the launch of a database server app by opening the Infinity Room, a temporary art installation that dazzled the public with all the data behind the quarters in their pockets. The project, built by Universal Everything, relied on an array of choreographed LED lights and pixel spheres to produce animations in a mirrored room, giving guests the impression that they were standing in an endless sea of information. As you'll see in the video below, the effect is very Matrix-like -- and certainly more memorable than a run-of-the-mill slideshow. You sadly can't visit the Infinity Room in person anymore, but Microsoft has a 360-degree version at the source link if you want to get a sense of what it was like.
