I never set out to fill my Windows PC with open-source software. It happened gradually as I found tools that fit the way I work better than some of the alternatives I had tried. The surprising part came later when I realized how many of these tools were connected to Microsoft. Some are fully open source, while others have an open-source foundation with Microsoft’s own additions. I had been using them for years without really thinking about where they came from. Here are a few that have become regular parts of my Windows setup, and the Microsoft connection surprised me.