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Is Microsoft actually opensourcing their software??

By Vikram Solanki - Feb. 24, 2008

On the surface it seems like they're embracing Opensource but statements like:

"Microsoft is providing a covenant not to sue open source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of implementations of these protocols."

and

"commercial use patent licenses would be readily available for the right fee"

don't exactly fit the opensource mould??


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  1. By Daylon Jackson on Feb. 24, 2008

    Yup, anything that comes out of Redmond should be taken with a grain of salt. Opensourcing their crap would benefit them in the long run because it might help improve the crap they put out.


    Still, it is a step in the right direction. We'll have to wait and watch how this whole thing plays out


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  2. By Vikram Solanki on Feb. 25, 2008

    I hear you Ajaxer! Beware the spin outta Redmond :) Still I think they're finally coming around and having Ray Ozzie there definitely helps.


    Like you said - as far as MS software quality goes - the only way is up!


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  3. By an anonymous user on Mar. 17, 2008

    In all fairness to Microsoft, they have taken a step in the right direction.


    Its a ways away before they open up their profitable apps (office, windows) but I can see that happening in the distant future...


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  4. By an anonymous user on Sep. 11, 2008

    Oh wake up: they try to con gullible developers that they are taking a step in the right direction, just like how they got away with 'stepping towards open data standards' by forcing their own ooxml through standardisation when their was already a truly open standard in Opendoc.


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