In brief: Microsoft Teams is easily one of the most popular communication and collaboration tools out there, and with how many platforms it's available on -- including iOS, Android, macOS, and, of course, Windows -- it's not hard to see why that's the case. Today, Microsoft expanded Teams' availability to Linux users as well.
This availability comes in the form of a public preview, available for download right now. Microsoft says this preview should let the open-source community and educational institutions achieve "high quality" collaboration experiences, through the use of Teams' built-in meeting, call, chat, and file-sharing features.
"I'm really excited about the availability of Microsoft Teams for Linux," Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin said in a statement. "With this announcement, Microsoft is bringing its hub for teamwork to Linux. I'm thrilled to see Microsoft's recognition of how companies and educational institutions alike are using Linux to transform their work culture."
According to Microsoft, all of Teams' features are available: nothing has been stripped out to make the software run on Linux. Whether you're collaboratively editing a file in Office 365 with a handful of colleagues, or simply chatting with your boss, the core experience is intact -- not that Linux users should have accepted or expected any less.
Microsoft Teams is technically free, but that version of the toolset is more limited than its paid alternatives. For example, the free plan's included file storage caps out at 2GB/user (plus 10GB of shared storage), and features like meeting recording and scheduling are unavailable.
These premium features are available as part of an Office 365 business subscription: Business Essentials ($5 per user per month) or Business Premium ($12.50 per user per month).
If you want to download Microsoft Teams on Linux, 64-bit .deb and .rpm packages are available right here. The company encourages the Linux community to leave feedback on the port over time, which you can do over on the "UserVoice" feedback forum. While you're at it, feel free to drop your impressions in the comments below.
https://www.techspot.com/news/83125-microsoft-teams-now-available-linux-users.html
