re: Joining Microsoft's Open Source Effort

Dypops — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:46:12 GMT

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re: Joining Microsoft's Open Source Effort

fluke — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:36:36 GMT

The idea that Microsoft advertising itself as being a so-called friend to Open Source is really not a surprise. Neither is the fact that it seems to be more about marketing spin than delivering on any real promise.

Chris DiBona predicted that Microsoft would use it's standing with the OSI to confuse the issue as to what open source really is. It would be nice if that view was just that of suspicion and hostility. But Microsoft has done a great deal to back DiBona's stance rather than follow the words of Bill Hilf or Sam Ramji.

Bill Hilf had indicated that a distinction would be made between open source and shared source. He also indicated that microsoft.com/opensource would be dedicated to what Microsoft was doing for open source. Today, the microsoft.com/opensource website has a link to the Shared Source Initiative. Rather than showing dedication to open source, as such Microsoft has used the site to gray the lines.

Sam Ramji stated it to be the policy of Microsoft to use the term open source to mean licenses that are approved by the OSI. Codeplex, which Microsoft continues to self-proclaim as a “open source project hosting site” is home to such projects as Microsoft Singularity RDK. Not only is the project's license not approved by the OSI but also reject key requirements under the Open Source Definition. As such, when Peter Galli announces additional Microsoft projects on Codeplex, he ends up also needing to specify if OSI approved licenses was used. If the Sam Ramji policy was followed then an OSI approved licensed should already been implied for all Codeplex projects.

I was let down to find out that a food product I liked only advertised itself as having no salt. In reality, it still had salt in it but less than it had in previous years. Port 25 and Codeplex is a similar let down. In reality, Codeplex has more OSI approved licensed projects than previous years, but when advertised as the “open source project hosting site” it seems implied that it is 100% OSI approved licensed projects. When Sam Ramji said back in June 2008 “Our policy regarding use of the term Open Source is clear: Open Source refers to projects using OSI-approved licenses,” I like to think he really meant it. But even today, Microsoft seems to throw the term open source loosely.

You point out that “few at Microsoft had much familiarity with open source licensing.” It seems like that statement could still apply today. Very few at Microsoft seem to be able to explain why Singularity RDK does not qualify as open source. Instead, the way Microsoft uses the term “open source” seems to indicate it is the same as simply “source available.” The alternative to the theory that Microsoft continues to be lack familiarity with true open source licensing is that has choose to purposely periodically ignore the open source definition. Either way, the bottom line is that Microsoft seems to be falling behind in making a positive distinction in a sea of companies that are now claiming to be open source friendly. Instead, Codeplex is another johnny come lately from yet another company that claims to “get it” when it comes to open source but in reality still doesn't.

re: Joining Microsoft's Open Source Effort

communist — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:55:57 GMT

"Share knowledge, collaborate with others, expect and encourage others to evolve your ideas and share their innovations."

Oh TomTom would have no problems with you sharing your precious 'innovations'.

"Microsoft has an entire group under Sam Ramji that works, among other things, to improve open source offerings on top of Windows."

Yeah as if that was ever the problem - the problem has been interoperating with Microsofts stuff.

Anyway posts like this crack me up - port25 at its best. Blog how great you are to the open source community and its them not playing nice... YES we should just throw all our previous (AND current EEE/ ISO corruption / TomTom case?) experiences out of the window and treat Microsoft much better.

Go port25!

PS: All that comment blocking / delaying just so that it doesn't show up in a timely fashion is sooo lame - or are you inable to properly set up something so simple like this.