Microsoft Supporting Open Source?
Microsoft Supporting Open Source?
April 10th, 2006: Microsoft is trying to fight the perception of it being an enemy of open source via a new blog called Port 25.
Launched last week, Port 25 takes its name from the SMTP IP port number for incoming email and aims to position Microsoft as a contributing member of the open source community.
While its move to embrace the Penguin community has been met with scepticism, the blog makes it clear that Microsoft is aware of the need for interoperability and the importance of open source on large.
In the inaugural introduction, Bill Hilf, Microsoft's General Manager for Platform Strategy (previously Open Source Software Lab manager) says that blog has been created to showcase analysis from Microsoft’s OSS labs and encourage open source discussion.
“The concept of server ports and being open is well engrained in how I and the team here in our lab think about communications – so we thought it was applicable to how we want to start the dialogue around this subject,” writes Hilf. “Having a participative discussion around OSS and Microsoft technologies is a good thing, not –as many people may believe- something we want to ‘hide’ or shy away from.”
However, just as Microsoft’s petition to join the OpenDocument standards body was seen by industry analysts as a way to slow or stop it gaining ground on Microsoft Office, attempts like this to enter the open source community without making any real contribution will perpetuate the perception of Microsoft as an open source antagonist.
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