Any move Microsoft makes towards working better with open source is a move most enterprises will appreciate. The partnerships it announced Tuesday are calculated, that's for sure. Read more
Microsoft versus open source
Microsoft legally promises not to sue open source developers
Microsoft' Patent Pledge for Open Source Developers says it won't sue if they don't sell.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Wed, 12/16/09 - 1:03pm.
As part of the agreement Microsoft has struck with the European Commission to offer a ballet screen for browsers, Microsoft has issued what it calls the "Patent Pledge for Open Source Developers." The pledge tells open source developers that Microsoft won't sue them for developing open source software for its flagship products as long as they are not selling their software. Read more
Microsoft's Teamprise acquisition means nothing for open development
Microsoft's purchase of Teamprise add-on does not bring cross-platform development to Visual Studio, MVP says.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 11/10/09 - 7:06pm.
Despite a misleading press release, Microsoft's purchase of the Teamprise toolset means almost nothing for Visual Studio and doesn't make Visual Studio a tool for cross-platform support. Microsoft is taking over the previous add-on product Teamprise which works with Team Foundation Server. Read more
Microsoft Linux: Why one free software advocate wants it
Ex-Microsoftie says that Windows 7 is doomed and Linux, free software, will ultimately dominate.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Wed, 10/28/09 - 3:07pm.
A lot of open source advocates like to rage against the machine at Microsoft, but when a former Microsoft Research employee says that Windows 7 won't stop Linux from market domination, that's an opinion to note. Keith Curtis, author of the book After the Software Wars, says just that. But he goes further. He thinks Microsoft and its customers would be better off if the company ditched Windows and instead built its own version of the Linux operating system. Read more
Open source dude, Sam Ramji, departs Microsoft (sort of)
Sam Ramji's new role is at the helm of the CodePlex Foundation.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Mon, 09/14/09 - 7:08pm.
Last week, Sam Ramji announced that he would be heading up the CodePlex Foundation, a new foundation intended to help proprietary software makers work in the brave new open source world. He will officially be leaving Microsoft to concentrate on the new foundation, named after the Microsoft site that hosts open source software for Microsoft products, CodePlex.com. Those projects are typically covered by Microsoft's own open source licenses. Read more
Microsoft accused of being in violation of GPL on Hyper-V code
Some say that Microsoft's much ballyhooed donation of Linux drivers was merely to cover its legal tracks.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Thu, 07/23/09 - 1:53pm.
Microsoft was reportedly in violation of the GPL license on on the Linux kernal Hyper-V code it released to the open source community this week. The drivers Microsoft created used both open-source and closed source components which is a clear no-no under the GPL. Read more
Open Source vendors band together against Microsoft
Google is a founding member and on the steering committe of Open Source for America group
Submitted by Google Subnet on Wed, 07/22/09 - 7:24pm.
Google is one of the more than 50 companies that have banded together to pressure the U.S. government to buy more open source software. The coalition calls itself Open Source for America and its motives are seen as specifically targeting government no-bid renewals of Microsoft products. Read more
Microsoft releases collaboration plug-in under GPLv2
Moodle plug-in is the first time Microsoft has simply opted for GPLv2
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 07/21/09 - 4:59pm.
The release of Linux hypervisor drivers by Microsoft on Monday was as interesting for paving the way for Microsoft to use the GPLv2 as it was for supporting more Linux distros on Hyper-V. The question was, would Microsoft now feel free to create more GPLv2 open source code? Today we have the answer. Yes. Read more
Microsoft releases Linux Hyper-V drivers but still wants to crush Linux
Drivers for the Linux kernel use the GPLv2, but serve only to bring Linux to Windows Server 2008.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Mon, 07/20/09 - 4:05pm.
With today's announcement that Microsoft will release a set of three Hyper-V drivers for the Linux kernel, Microsoft is treating its Windows Server 2008 customers right, but not, by any account, giving up the fight to wipe Linux out -- or for that matter crush VMware. Yes, the drivers are fully open source. But they mostly benefit Microsoft. They don't, for instance, contribute to the improvement of the Linux kernel. Read more
Microsoft covers C#, CLI programs with its home-grown, open source license
And many in the open source community actually smiles
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 07/07/09 - 6:04pm.
In a move that actually brought positive comments about Microsoft from the open source community, Microsoft today announced that it is extending its legally binding "Community Promise" licensing to cover C# programs and Common Language Infrastructure (CLI). Developers and users can use and modify implementations without fear of any reprisals. Read more
Microsoft yanks 10 old patches down
Microsoft pulls old patches down that distributed the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Wed, 07/01/09 - 10:56pm.
With nearly no explanation, Microsoft sent out an alert notifying customers that it was removing download information for 10 security patches "because Microsoft Java Virtual Machine is no longer available for distribution from Microsoft." The revised bulletins are rated as critical and affect patches from the years 1999 through 2003.
The affected patches are: MS03-011, MS02-069, MS02-052, MS02-013, MS00-081, MS00-075, MS00-059, MS00-011, MS99-045, MS99-031. Read more
TomTom caves, will pay Microsoft license fees; may force more open source patents
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Mon, 03/30/09 - 5:15pm.GPS navigation device vendor TomTom has agreed to settle its lawsuit with Microsoft by paying Microsoft license fees. Although TomTom filed a countersuit, Microsoft will not be paying license fees to TomTom in return. Specific financial terms were not disclosed but we don't need to know the financial terms to understand how important this case was. The patents at the center of Microsoft's infringement claims involved technologies found in a version of the Linux OS that TomTom's portable devices run on. Read more
U.S. government may explore standardizing on open source
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Wed, 01/28/09 - 11:12am.Scott McNealy has been asked to prepare a paper on the subject of secure and cost-effective government through open source, reports BBC News. The paper will aim to convince the Obama administration to free itself from licensing fees to the likes of Microsoft, IBM and Oracle and any other software vendor that still operates on the software licensing model.
According to the story, McNealy told BBC News: Read more
Microsoft sends an open source message by joining the AMQP working group
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Fri, 10/24/08 - 6:43pm.UPDATE: 10/27 (from Microsoft Subnet editor Julie Bort): Microsoft has today answered my e-mail asking how MSMQ might be affected by AMQP. According to Greg Thomas, Sr. Manager, Platform Strategy for Microsoft, "Today our customers have diverse and complex messaging needs that no single IT company alone can address. Read more
Samba developer declares Microsoft to be officially open-source friendly
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Fri, 10/24/08 - 10:43am.It's been a year since Microsoft's failed attempt to shrug off the EU's demands over interoperability. Read more
Microsoft versus Novell: the best reason to go open source
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 10/07/08 - 5:55pm.If you needed another argument in favor of open source, here it is. The money you spent on license fees for proprietary software has funded years of who-cares lawsuits between software vendors. A case in point is a post from Groklaw yesterday regarding some documents that Microsoft subpoenaed last month. Read more
Microsoft will offer 24/7 support on open source jQuery
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Mon, 10/06/08 - 1:53pm.Now here's a news item that will either delight or befuddle you. Read more
MS SQL Server gains market share but open source threat grows
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 08/26/08 - 6:44pm.Microsoft's SQL Server and Oracle's flagship database software both gained market share since 2007, according to Gartner as reported by Reuters. Read more
Which technology suffers most from technology racism, Windows or Linux?
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Wed, 07/30/08 - 5:49pm.Samba's Jeremy Allison stars as a very entertaining guest with Don Marti on the Linuxcast podcast show. (Here's a couple of one-liners from Allison to illustrate the point that this podcast is entertaining: "The new Samba 3.2 … It's wonderful! It sings, it dances, it makes toast! We've been working on it for over a year … I think this thing has been gestating longer than an elephant.") Read more
Are open source advocates growing soft over Microsoft?
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Mon, 05/19/08 - 11:42pm.Open source vs Microsoft in the schools, with Linux partners and in the patent office ... these are some of the topics concerning Microsoft that arose during a recent live Network World chat with Stormy Peters. Peters is co-founder of the non-profit GNOME Foundation and director of community and partner programs for OpenLogic. Her general take was that Microsoft is beginning to show signs of learning to work with open source. That said, the patent problem (not just with Microsoft, but in general) is a huge issue for open source developers. Read more
Microsoft partners its way to open source
By Micronet on Wed, 03/26/2008 - 2:16pm
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