I read the actual license, and it was much too convoluted for my liking. (I'd previously thought it would be the boilerplate MS Permissive License; instead it's got heaps of added verbiage. If I was running a factory and had to make decisions in a hurry, I'd take one of the *BSD and/or derivatives instead - the license is much quicker to read and understand, and I'd be paying much less in legal fees! ;)
I complained about the license to Jason Matusow, and he replied he'd sent my comments on to the team responsible, so hopefully it might get pruned. Still, Microsoft getting closer to being reasonably tolerant towards the Free/Libre and Open Source Software communities! Hell freezeth over ... ;) Wesley Parish On Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:22, Wesley Parish wrote: > I was at osnews.com today when I noticed this: > Microsoft To Open up Windows CE Kernel Source? > "Microsoft will make a surprise announcement at the Nov. 1 launch of > Windows CE 6.0, according to the Web's rumor-mill. In what would be its > most substantial nod to the open-source movement, Microsoft is rumored to > be opening up CE 6.0's entire kernel as 'shared source'. Update: It's > official." > > http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS4547551075.html > http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS2632317407.html > > The chosen Microsoft "Shared Source" license is the BSD-like Microsoft > Permissive License: > http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/licensingbasics/permissivel >icense.mspx > > Far be it from me to boast, but: > http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/03/31/Welcome-to-Kishi_2700_s-Korner >.aspx > http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/05/22/Following_2D00_up_2E002E002E00 >_.aspx > > http://blogs.msdn.com/jasonmatusow/archive/2005/10/19/482562.aspx > > Nice to know a bit of inspired badgering _can_ bring about a certain amount > of change. > > And if anyone wishes to argue that I have _sold_ _out_ - my major concern > is that without some competitor as shifty as Microsoft has proven, the > Free/Libre and Open Source Software communities will get complacent; and by > talking Microsoft into becoming to an extent as limited as above, a F/LOSS > semi-compatible company, we get the needed competition without getting the > nastier aspects of it. And we get an independent correlation of some parts > of Wine, etc. > > Just my 0.02c > > Wesley Parish -- Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish ------------- Mau ki ana, he aha te mea nui? You ask, "What is the most important thing?" Maku ki ana, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people." ------------- notcatweazle.wordpress.com - Some unmagical musings
