CE source code opens up
By iTnews staff
Tuesday, 24 July 2001
itNews
http://www.itnews.com.au/story.cfm?ID=7303
Microsoft has thrown down the gauntlet to "open source" software licenses
by revealing the source code of its Windows CE 3.0 operating system to
developers.
Open source software, which Microsoft has called a "cancer", allows users
to modify underlying code to meet their needs and redistribute the modified
software. The Linux operating system kernel is one such example.
Microsoft is pushing its own "Shared Source License" concept, which gives
developers the right to alter the source code but not to distribute the
modified code for commercial gain.
The worry is that developers could find themselves embroiled in legal
proceedings as a result of downloading shared source code. Microsoft could
accuse developers of breaching their copyright by copying Windows code for
their own projects.
Microsoft's code was issued with the new Shared Source License on Friday in
the US. The code can be found on the company's Internet site and can be
accessed through an evaluation or full version of the Platform Builder
development tool.
-- Q: What's tiny and yellow and very, very, dangerous? A: A canary with the super-user password. -- unknownRegards brd
Bernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia brd@dynamite.com.au brd@austarmetro.com.au
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