What application allows Linux to share files and printers with Microsoft Windows devices?

Samba is the correct answer because it is specifically designed to enable interoperability between Linux/Unix systems and Windows systems. It allows Linux servers to share files and printers with Windows devices seamlessly by implementing the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, which is the standard used by Windows for file and printer sharing. Through Samba, users on different operating systems can access shared resources, making it a critical tool in mixed-OS environments.

NFS (Network File System) is primarily used for sharing files within Unix/Linux environments, so it does not natively support Windows systems. SSH (Secure Shell) is mainly used for secure remote login and command execution, not for file sharing and printing. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows for file transfers over the network but does not provide a way to share printers between operating systems. Thus, Samba is the application most suited for the task of sharing files and printers between Linux and Windows devices.