Free Windows toolset and founders gobbled up by Microsoft

Just 4 days after I heaped praise on Sysinternals utilities like Process Explorer and Filemon, Microsoft has bought the company and hired its two founders, Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell. Their company, Winternals Software LP, provided commercial systems recovery and data protection solutions in addition to offering the free Sysinternals tools site. In his blog, Mark writes:

There’s nothing more satisfying for me than to see our ideas and their implementation have a positive impact. That’s what makes being acquired by Microsoft especially exciting and rewarding. I’m joining Microsoft as a technical fellow in the Platform and Services Division, which is the division that includes the Core Operating Systems Division, Windows Client and Windows Live, and Windows Server and Tools.

Bryce will join the Windows Component Platform Team in the role of software architect. According to Mark, some of the code developed at Winternals will find its way into into existing Microsoft products or Windows itself and other parts will continue on as Microsoft-branded products.

The Sysinternals site will remain up "for now", says Mark, and the tools will "continue to be free to download". However there's no word on whether or not they will continue to be maintained and improved.