Microsoft has founded an organisation for the exchange of code between software companies and open-source communities.
The CodePlex Foundation has been created as a not-for-profit forum to address integration and cultural issues between open-source and proprietary software.
Microsoft describes the foundation as an "extension to the CodePlex brand", building on CodePlex.com — the company's open-source project repository which currently hosts some 10,000 projects.
The software giant is currently the foundation's only funder.
"The CodePlex Foundation was created as a forum in which open-source communities and the software-development community can come together with the shared goal of increasing participation in open-source community projects," said a statement on the CodePlex Foundation's website.
In particular, Microsoft said, the foundation is aimed at solving cultural, methodological and intellectual-property issues that arise when open source works with what Microsoft calls commercial software.
The foundation's interim president will be Sam Ramji, currently senior director of platform strategy at Microsoft. Ramji's departure from Microsoft was formally announced by Bill Hilf, Microsoft general manager of platform strategy, in a blog post on Thursday.
"We recognise the importance of having that strong internal advocate for open source, we are actively seeking someone to fill Sam's shoes at Microsoft," said Hilf. "We will not waver in our commitment to open source."
The foundation's board consists of Microsoft employees Bill Staples, Stephanie Boesch and Britt Johnston, plus Novell's Miguel de Icaza, and Shaun Walker from DotNetNuke.
Microsoft has had a mixed stance towards open source. It has made efforts to become more interoperable with open-source products, and has employed ambassadors such as Ramji and Hilf to the open-source community.
On the other hand, Microsoft has also stated that Linux infringes on 235 patents it holds, although it has declined to identify them, and pursued TomTom for alleged patent infringement.
In a speech at the Red Hat conference in Chicago on 3 September, Samba lead Jeremy Allison told an audience that it was a mistake to think of Microsoft as one monolithic company. Instead, the open-source community should see that parts of the company, such as Hilf's department, are in favour of Linux, while other parts, such as the legal department, see Linux as infringing Microsoft patents, according to Allison.
Talkback
I smell an exceedingly large fat, greasy rodent, that will probably take several years to poke it's nose into the sunlight.
"Jeremy Allison told an audience that it was a mistake to think of Microsoft as one monolithic company. Instead, the open-source community should see that parts of the company, such as Hilf's department, are in favour of Linux, while other parts, such as the legal department, see Linux as infringing Microsoft patents, according to Allison."
All the bad media attention recently its hard to see if they is any sincere aspect to this view point, i find it hard to believe that the men at the top of the chain have no control over there company to this extent.
Or is this just wishful thinking on the part of all the separate departmental heads of staff throughout microsoft, after being promised this & that from the chair men.
haha Tezzer, I wonder if this rodents name is steave by any chance.
Are we to believe that Microsoft is suffering from multiple personality disorder? Yeah right.
As a corporation with thousands of stockholders, many of whom work for the corporation, ANYTHING that Microsoft does to "promote" open source is suspect simply because holding open source and proprietary products will eventually lead to conflicts of interest. Isn't that what Microsoft has told everyone, over and over again? That Open Source restricts the rights of the copyright holder? That it restricts innovation? That it retricts business? yada-yada-yada as one of Seinfeld's characters would say.
I won't believe they really support Open Source until the day they throw the current Windows source code up on Sourceforge, set up some sort of version control application on it and plop a GPL license on all of it.
I'm not holding my breath.
Check out this URL:
http://consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20090914102959510
Either Microsoft knows exactly what it is doing or they haven't a freaking clue.
I totally agree with that overview quite right, but he says stumble I say deliberate thats to big an indifference to be a stumble.
Wipe the slate clean and start again, but there again wouldn't it just be easier for them to join existing open groups?
of looking at Microsoft's recent behaviour concerning Open Source is perhaps that of split personality, if that's the correct analogy.
Certain Microsoft executives express interest and sympathy with Open Source, propose initiatives, while the juggernaught that is Microsoft just keeps rolling on unchecked.
This indicates either tensions within the company or, more likely in my own opinion, bad faith from the outset; perhaps both. Microsoft has a long way to go to establish trust and, as in all things, actions speak louder than words.
Reading the article under reference, one would be excused for thinking that the forum is not 'open'. Note also the preferred BSD licence.......
I'm starting to wonder myself now about ms it's starting to look more and more like a runaway train, maybe thats why bill jumped.