I am still on Firefox, so I'm genuinely confused on the Chromium side... On GrapheneOS there is Vanadium, I trust it because of GrapheneOS. But on Linux... Brave is often described as "shady", I don't know if there is a good Chromium-based solution?
But if you just want a Chrome-y browser, you might as well just use Chromium itself. It's a bit more pernickety than Firefox (particularly if you want to have accelerated video) but it's not dreadful, and likely has first-class support from your preferred distro.
This distro would have been the default under WSL. Not Ubuntu. Not Debian. Etc.
Most people would not have cared which distro. They would simply used what was provided. However, this distro would come preinstalled with Powershell, Edge, to name a few. To further that it would make it easy to install additional Microsoft software like SQL Server, Management Studio, dotnet, etc.
Simply imagine the vast majority of Windows users who have never touched Linux trying WSL for the first time and getting accustomed using tools they already know on Windows. It's likely Microsoft or their distro would gain some popularity.
While this would be common with WSL - users could also download the distro for a full install. Use what they are already comfortable with. However, if they do decide to use a different distro, they would likely have enough confidence to know how install Microsoft software on it.
Again (and thankfully) a missed opportunity.
In all, why do I care about Edge or Powershell or other Windows-based software or tools on GNU/Linux?
If there is general interest in using Edge - I, too, would like to hear it.
There's already a precedent for massive backlash whenever Canonical or Red Hat build something proprietary or upstream a change that favors their business goals instead of the larger community. Given Microsoft's well-documented "Embrace/Extend/Extinguish" approach to open competition, no one would trust them.
However, you are referring to the OSS community that are aware of user freedoms, software licenses... putting the end user first!
I am talking about the majority of Windows users (even tech users) who have not touched Linux. This is still a large user base.
Imagine them getting their hands wet trying out Linux for the first time via WSL. Imagine them using a default distro that holds their hand with what they are familiar with.
Regardless what the OSS community thinks, if Microsoft played their cards right, they might have gained something not just in WSL space, but also Azure.
Loads of people, even today, purposely go with Microsoft products because the business they work for supports it. Its those places that may have given a Microsoft Linux OS the chance for some percentage share.
There are people out there that are all in on Microsoft and do not care about licensing or Free/Open vs Proprietary. Some people just want to use what they are comfortable with and continue to push whatever their job covers. If there is a reason to use Linux, they likely would be happy to use a "Microsoft Distro" to keep things connected.