Microsoft Should Step Up Its Open Source Strategy
Microsoft needs to do more than talk a good game when it comes to
open source.
,----[ Quote ]
| One very real reason for Microsoft's reticence is payback. The OSI has
| not been friendly to Microsoft in the past. Now, Microsoft wants to hold
| the OSI's feet to the fire and gain some concessions in return for
| going through the OSI channels.
|
| One of the concessions Microsoft is seeking is the final burial of
| the infamous Halloween Documents. Any Microsoft historians out there
| remember the Halloween documents? These were internal Microsoft memos
| dating from the late 1990s, made public by open-source advocate and
| former OSI president Eric Raymond. The memos, which detailed
| Microsoft's divide and conquer plans around open source, are currently
| hosted on Ray-mond's personal Web site, but can be found via a direct link
| on the OSI Web site.)
|
| The Halloween documents are part of Microsoft's history. With new
| leaders like Bill Hilf, Microsoft's director for platform technology
| strategy, they may no longer reflect Microsoft's current position, vis
| a vis open source. It may be painful for Microsoft for them to be on
| display, but they don't deserve to be swept under the rug.
|
| If Microsoft really wants credit and credibility in the open source world,
| it needs to stop the squeamishness and show good faith. Why not let
| bygones be bygones and just let the whole Halloween documents issue drop?
| And why not submit a couple of Shared Source licenses for OSI approval,
| just to see what happens?
|
| Talks with open source leaders are good. But talk is cheap. And beer is
| free ... at least in some open-source circles.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,2007123,00.asp
Jo Foley used to criticise Microsoft more often. I suspect that Microsoft
then bribed her to sing praises instead. But she now seems to head in
Scoble's direction. And just like Martin Taylor, as well as other paid
bloggers (even Pirillo and Thurrot indirectly benefit), she appears to rebel
and express her disgust.
|
|
