Microsoft’s non-open source attempt at open source
Posted by: admin in Business and PoliticsMicrosoft has evolved in its stance toward open source, but its current hiccup with the Sandcastle project calls into question just how well it comprehends the obligations open source imposes. Microsoft created its CodePlex site to host open-source software, and has been careful to abide by open-source rules, submitting its licenses to the Open Source Initiative for approval.
Yet as Sandcastle demonstrates, Microsoft still has a long ways to go before it demonstrates that it comprehends and is willing to stand behind the obligations of open source. The Sandcastle project went live on January 8. Several months later, it still isn’t providing source code, a key tenet of the CodePlex hosting stipulations.
This isn’t a matter of holding Microsoft to a third-party standard. It’s a matter of holding Microsoft to its own standards. Microsoft declares CodePlex to be an open-source project hosting site:
(Credit: Microsoft)The CodePlex terms of use require the following conditions for CodePlex-hosted projects:
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