Microsoft Opening Up To Open Source Development

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07.28.08

Microsoft Opening Up To Open Source Development

By Roberto Galoppini

Friday at OSCON Sam Ramji, Senior Director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft, talked about Microsoft's steps on the open source road, explaining how Microsoft is going to contribute to open source development and communities.

Funding the Apache Software Foundation Microsoft keeps implementing its open source strategy, clarifying legal concerns on the OSP and eventually supplying the necessary rights for Apache POI project.

I have been engaged to build bridges between Microsoft and open source companies, like Sourcesense. I am glad that my friend Gianugo Rabellino, Sourcesense's CEO and well known member of the Apache Software Foundation, proved that the myth "Microsoft won't raise any interest among OSS developers" is false.

Andrew C. Oliver, OSI's member and Apache POI founder, reported that Microsoft acted in good faith and purpose addressing his concerns regards to patents and OOXML, going even a step further adding the binary formats to the list.

Microsoft's decision to define an open source strategy did not happen overnight, and it will take time to see it effectively implemented. While I agree with Andrew writing that open source communities have to work cautiously with large corporation - and I will keep advising PLIO to do so - I see Microsoft making important progress in the right direction.

Kudos to Sam and his group to build a stronger relationship with the ASF.

Comments

About the Author:
In 2001 started up a small firm specialized in infrastructural solutions based on Open Source software. In 2004 launched the first Italian consortium of Open Source SMEs, becoming its president. Collaborates to academy research on Open Source organizational models and on Open Source meta-districts, keeps rubrics and writes articles on ICT magazines.

http://robertogaloppini.net

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