Now available for your review: .NET Source Code!
Technorati Tags: Microsoft , Silverlight , source code
Is Microsoft changing? Releasing .NET source code as shared source (using the MS-RL -- Microsoft Reference License) would've been unthinkable a few years back. It's not open source in the GPL sense, but it's noteworthy nonetheless. Jon Box has more here on just what has happened, along with links to a bunch more info.
I must admit, I didn't see this coming, although perhaps I should've anticipated the release given the Mono Moonlight work that Microsoft is assisting Novell with. If you're not familiar, Moonlight is significant because it's the first time Microsoft is helping implement the .NET CLR on Linux. Is that another sign that Microsoft is changing?
Of course, every person and organization is always changing, evolving at some level. But I actually don't think the release of the .NET as shared source or assisting the Mono Moonlight project represents a change in core principles. The real change is the evolution in the industry, and the movement (and proliferation) of "platforms" up the technology stack. Microsoft, IMO, is simply recognizing reality, and evolving the business to reflect that. Something the company has a long history of doing.
Comments
Anonymous
October 04, 2007
PingBack from http://www.artofbam.com/wordpress/?p=5301Anonymous
October 04, 2007
Is Microsoft changing? Releasing .NET source code as shared source (using the MS-RL -- Microsoft Reference