Microsoft switching to Open Source

[Scarecrow Man]

Microsoft is to open up the source code behind its server communication protocols, in an attempt to get the European Commission off its back.

Microsoft already offers 12,000 pages of technical documents and 500 hours of free technical support to anyone applying for a license. Companies making software which interacts with Microsoft servers use those licences to make their products work properly with Microsoft ones. Such license-holders will now also get to look at the source code, but will not have the right to publish the code or include it in their own products.

In December the commission said it was unhappy with the documentation Microsoft had provided. It published a statement of objections expressing its view that Microsoft was not doing enough to comply with the anti-trust agreement.

"This is a substantial step and a significant change, but it doesn't lay to rest everything over compliance - the EC is still looking at the price we charge for this."

...

Smith noted that the case has now taken eight years.

Microsoft is back in court with the commission between April 24 and 28.®

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No, Microsoft is not moving to Open Source, but they are being pushed to release certain code.

The code will be free to view (not to public, but developers with a license), but it cannot be used or modified. Much like GNU Lesser General Public License.

[scuzzman]

The code will be free to view (not to public, but developers with a license), but it cannot be used or modified. Much like GNU Lesser General Public License.

The LGPL requires that code be available for use/modification. The stipulation is that whatever it is used in must also be released under the LGPL or the GPL.

As for what MS is doing, SMB is already reverse-engineered (Samba) and works better than MS's original (you can custom-set OS_LEVEL in Samba - it's hardcoded into Windows).