Who helps make Linux? Microsoft.

ZDNet: The Linux Foundation has released its list of which companies contributed the most to Linux kernel development in 2011, and it includes a surprising name. According to the foundation, “[For] the first time, Microsoft appears on list of companies that are contributing to the Linux kernel. Ranking at number 17, the company that once called Linux a ‘cancer,’ today is working within the collaborative development model to support its virtualization efforts and its customers. Because Linux has reached a state of ubiquity, in which both the enterprise and mobile computing markets are relying on the operating system, Microsoft is clearly working to adapt.”

The top ten organizations on the list of contributors to the open source operating system include the following:

1. No company affiliation (17.9 percent)
2. Red Hat (11.9 percent)
3. Novell/SUSE (6.4 percent)
4. Intel (6.2 percent)
5. IBM (6.1 percent)
6. Unknown (5.1 percent)
7. Consultant (3.0 percent)
8. Oracle (2.1 percent)
9. Academia (1.3 percent)
10. Nokia (1.2 percent)