Pender's Blog

Blog archive

Microsoft Continues Dance with Open Source, EU

Microsoft made a big kafuffle today to announce yet another "openness" initiative. This time, it involves publishing tens of thousands of pages of software protocols, something European Union regulators have been demanding for some time now. Not surprisingly, the EU -- so far, at least -- still isn't happy.

Redmond also pledged not to sue for patent infringement open source developers who develop software for "non-commercial distribution." (So, that includes Microsoft's own customers...right?) Microsoft is also going to let us know once and for all which of its protocols are patented, and then license those patents at what it calls low rates.

The whole Microsoft spiel is here. Also, look for more coverage of this announcement -- and maybe a snarky comment or two -- in Friday's RCPU.

Posted by Lee Pender on February 21, 2008


Featured

  • MIT Finds Only 1 in 20 AI Investments Translate into ROI

    Despite pouring billions into generative AI technologies, 95 percent of businesses have yet to see any measurable return on investment.

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.