Re: [OT] Microsoft begining to open source Windows 2000?

[Lars Gaarden <larsg@trustix.com>]

Venkatesh Ramamurthy wrote:

> 	Enterprise customers are beginning to see the value of having
> 	source available, and MS is doing this as a half-baked
> 	solution to give decition makers one less reason for switching
> 	to Open Source.
> 
> 
> Microsoft such attempts can be viewed as either
> 1. Trying to make it sources open(in the long run) or
> 2. As you said a "half - baked solution"
> 
> 	But the article mentioned about the "earlier success with the pilot
> program" , which made me feel that they may have more plans than making the
> sources open for a few customers.

Don't get me wrong. I think that making the source available is
a step in the right direction. But MS' business model is very
centered around controlling and protecting their operating
system/platform. Ever since they gained an upper hand in the
PC platform war, their agenda has been to protect Windows from
any competing platforms. Think OS/2, Java, Netscape.

There is also the fact that Windows source code has been available
for a long time, both to universities and to ISVs that are
developing software that requires deep hackery (Citrix, Bristol
technology, etc). Which makes me believe that this "source
available (under heavy license)" thing is mainly a marketing stunt
to make MS look good.

Today MS is a platform provider. Open Source is all about making
the platform a commodity. A major business plan and culture
rewiring has to happen inside MS before they can embrace Open
Source, and I don't see that happening yet.

I'd be very happy to be proved wrong, though.

-- 
LarsG.