Bruce Perens: Microsoft and Apache - What's the Angle?

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Bruce Perens: Microsoft and Apache - What's the Angle?

 

An Interoperable Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

 

But Microsoft is only joining Apache to be interoperable, protest their apologists. Let's look then, at what Microsoft has to do to be interoperable. Microsoft can use Apache project code in their own proprietary software without being a member of the project, and without paying anything, because the Apache license is a gift with no strings attached.

 

Even GPL software is free without restriction for everyone to read, and to use its ideas, formats, and algorithms in implementing interoperable proprietary products - the only restriction is that GPL code can't be literally cut and pasted into those products. So, the open source community has done everything necessary for Microsoft to be interoperable with them, no signatures required. Would that Microsoft were so nice to others.

 

Microsoft has lots of money to hire key Apache developers, if they actually plan to use the code and want good service from its developers on a 24/7 basis. So, this $100,000 contribution and the partial patent grant aren't about interoperability. It's for publicity, and to convince government regulators, not the most technical people in the world, that Microsoft has joined open source and is now a well-behaved company, no anti-trust issues at all. The bad part for open source is that Microsoft is increasingly in a position to speak to European legislators as an insider in the open source community while requesting increases in software patenting that would block open source. That patent matter is expected to come before European officials, again, by this winter.

 

 

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/article.php/3762786/Bruce+Perens:+Microsoft+and+Apache+-+Whats+the+Angle?.htm

 

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