Slashdot Mirror
WiX Project Lead Interviewed On CPL Licensing
comforteagle writes "After Microsoft released WiX (Windows Installer XML) under the CPL I found it odd that so many interviews following were with almost everyone but the project lead. So, for your Friday enjoyment I've posted an interview with Rob Mensching, Wix Project lead, who sheds a little light on what's going on behind the scenes at the Shared Source Initiative from the ground." Mensching explains: "My bosses were not involved in the decision which license should be used for the Windows Installer XML toolset. I worked with members of the Shared Source Initiative team who understand the details of the various licenses available to share source code. They listened to my requirements and found that the CPL seemed most appropriate for the toolset."
MSI installation on windows is a huge step up from the old setup.exe situation, but it isn't that often used.
What I'd really love to see on windows is something where windows tracked the 'lineage' of every file (and reg key) on the system. So, when you want to get rid of a program, you're able to remove everything the program touched, save files you've copied over to another location.
It's easy to get software installed on windows, now they need to work on a method to get everything removed, especialy spyware...
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Not more evil but its something that doesnt really help the community that much (as there are plenty of good Win installers out there like Nullsoft's). at the same time it gives ms some volley to say 'hey we support open source too!'
What I think this gives Microsoft is an excellent opportunity to get its feet wet with a truly opensource licensed project that doesn't impact their bottom line.
It is a well known best practice to never adopt a new business process, technology or in general any dramatic change in a thorough, one fell swoop fashion. Instead, pilot projects and gradually-phased programs give you the chance to gauge the effects of your decisions while you go.
With WiX, I get under the impression MS gets to see how does it feel like to handle an open source project and maybe find a way to prepare to get revenue out of it (don't see it happening yet with WiX but they can learn for later)
The revolution will not be televised.
That reminds me Apple, are you saying that Apple releasing their source code under open source doesn't mean anything?
More and more people see what the open source is all about. I think we are going to see some segmentation within open source community. I am an open source developer, but I don't approve your message in anyway, thus you just do not represent me. There are thousands of developers like me who just don't give a damn about the communism Stallman is trying to spread. We are simply developers and we have no intention of working for free.
I think when people are talking about open source developers they usually refer to Linus and his friends, yet it covers also many windows developers. There are more open source developers working for windows than there are for linux. That's something people are missing.
Open source community is not something you can manipulate in your post. It is not a unified community. It has some characteristics, but it is composed of thousands of people who hate Stallman, Slashdot, etc... Anybody who is going to help this particular developer in this project do not give a shit about Slashdot.
Sourceforge is just a free tool for us to use. We don't give a damn about what Sourceforge or OSDN represent or try to make us, developers, work for them for free.