Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Plans to open sources for Windows Forms

Posted by Hemos on from the testing-the-waters dept.

prostoalex writes "Shawn Burke from Microsoft says they are ready to ship sources for Windows Forms for .NET Framework 2.0 and asks for specific advice on accomplishing that (specifically, a smart comment tool). Windows Forms contains .NET framework classes for building GUI applications."

3 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. Nota bene: this is a free sample of crack cocaine by davecb · · Score: 2, Insightful
    prostoalex writes: Windows Forms contains .NET framework classes for building GUI applications.

    If you use classes which depend on .NET, your application is dependent on code that's part of a monopoly platform.

    If you expect it to run anywhere than on Windows you have to depend on MS not using license terms, embrace-and-extend and patents to make mono fail. Or they can just keep changing the implementation as fast as they can ship out updates, and wear the mono folks out retaining the existing functionality, leaving them unable to add to the framework.

    Remember how long WINE took? And how few apps ran under it for the first few years? Indeed, how few run under it even now...

    --dave

    --
    davecb@spamcop.net
  2. Sources != Open Source by k98sven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It doesn't look like this is a "good thing", at all really.

    TFA:
    Now, this is not the MFC model where you'll be able to build it, etc. We're talking about just source and PDBs for debugging.

    Okaay. So they're going to let you look at the code, but not build it. With all certainty, modification and redistribution is right out. They just want you to help them with debugging, tainting yourself in the process.

    If I were a Mono or DotGNU developer, I wouldn't touch this thing with a ten-foot-pole, lest I taint myself. It's not going to be open-source. It's doesn't seem like it's even going to be buildable or readable.

    So unless you like MS so much you're willing to do their work for them for free, finding bugs in this (rather insignificant) part of .NET, it's not worth tainting yourself.

    Even Java is better than this. And it's not Open Source either.

  3. hmmm by rnd() · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Could this be an attempt to get source code out into public view before Mono finishes its Windows.Forms implementation?

    Or was this code already available on Microsoft's website for building .net on BSD?

    --

    Amazing magic tricks