I doubt they'd be successful at that. Instead I see this as a desperate move to remain relevant to software development.
Microsoft is playing catch-up with the software dev and dev/ops community. Linux became the preferred dev environment many years ago, not just because it's a better environment, but also when it became clear that Linux was going to take over the internet via "cloud" services and containers (docker, Kubernetes, etc.). Which it has done, in large measure. Windows simply cannot do what Linux does, and people want what Linux does.
Add to that Microsoft's dismal and utter failure in the mobile market, where Linux rules via Android.
Thus, running a Linux (dev) environment on Windows is a desperation move by MS to avoid Windows development being shunted into the corner completely by 2025 or so.
All that said, Windows will remain the majority user platform for a long time -- it's simply too entrenched to be forced out of hundreds of millions of homes and businesses. Windows applications will continue to be the default. But modern software development abandoned Windows years ago, and MS finally realized it.
I'm glad they did. I'd like to see Windows remain relevant for more than doing Excel spreadsheets in Accounting and playing video games.
My friend... You do not look around you and recognize the “MS extortion business model” that has now spread off to all tech and even non-tech markets?
They set the industry and market standard based on the proprietary “extortion” and “bait and switch” business model that has become the liberal business standard.
No... They will steal it and call it their own if they think they can get away with it, And this culture is just stupid enough to let them get away with it.
“Well if windows says I have to do this then I have to do this”. MS started this particular business model and these idiots are all falling for it. It is the new marketing standard. they sell stocks based on this new business model.
I agree with your assessment. Windows is being completely destroyed everywhere but the desktop. The datacenter is absolutely owned by linux for many reasons, in every area except mail handling. Exchange still rules that in corporate environments, and that is one thing that I really wish we had a really strong Linux contender for.
MS is trying to bolt linux on to windows. I suspect (and hope) that they will ultimately fail in that because it is obviously exactly that: a bolt on solution, not something organic. It will be really interesting to watch over the next few years as entirely new classes of malware springs from the cracks between the two subsystems.