Weaponize? That's just wrong. Minecraft, retroactively dubbed Minecraft Java Edition, is totally cross platform. So, how does this new product help MS dominate education?
Answer: it doesn't. It's like arguing that Bröderbund (I hope I spelled that right) weaponized Zoombinis to take over the education market.
Minecraft Education Edition is a fork of Minecraft Pocket Edition, written in C++ without modding capabilities and only compatible with Windows 10. Minecraft Java Edition is likely going to die eventually.
MC:Ed runs on Macs as well. More details of Minecraft's codebases:
Minecraft at this point has 3 separate codebases: the original one written in Java, the "Pocket Edition" codebase, and the console codebase.
The Java edition was the "original" Minecraft codebase. It runs on most versions of macOS, Windows and Linux. Because it is written in Java, it is very easily moddable and has a large modding scene. Most features arrive here first.
The console port was developed by 4J Studios in C++ and released in 2012 for the Xbox 360. It now runs on most game consoles.
Mojang separately released an iOS/Android port in 2012, known as Minecraft Pocket Edition. This port is also written in C++. The PE codebase was ported to Windows 10 as well (W10 can run the Java version as well).
Back to MC:Ed. MC:Ed is a spiritual successor to a third-party product, MinecraftEdu (Java Edition licensed from Mojang, modded to be suitable for education). Microsoft bought the company behind MinecraftEdu and is replacing it with MC:Ed, which is based on the PE codebase and runs on Windows 10 and macOS (El Cap+).
I don't know why they did that. "Hey guys, let's replace an already well-known product with a more limited version with less features. That will sell us a ton of copies!"
The C++ codebase was originally written because Java didn't run on iOS. In fact, MC:PE has sold more copies than the desktop version. Not sure about MC:W10, probably a desire to unite under one codebase.
I don't think MCJE will die any time soon. It's still the first branch new features land in, and no matter how much MS markets it, MCW10 will be a second-class citizen for as long as that's true.
In addition, much of the Mojang staff works primarily in Java, as does the modding scene. If Mojang dropped MCJE, there would be a massive outcry, both inside the company (I suspect Searge, and maybe Dinnerbone, in particular, would object) and outside it.
Finally, even if MCJE was dropped, the community might well keep it alive. People still play 1.2.5 for the modding scene, and the jars are fairly well available. The community could probably outpace Mojang - and indeed, with projects like Forge, the OreDictionary, FMP, the FluidAPI, and others, not only have they shown they can do it, they already have the groundwork in place.
Thanks for the info though. I had assumed that MCEE was a continuation of MCFE.
Answer: it doesn't. It's like arguing that Bröderbund (I hope I spelled that right) weaponized Zoombinis to take over the education market.