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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. And this affects us .. how? by AndroidCat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Does this make a difference to projects like Mono? And what's the catch? Can I use the source for anything useful without being tackled by lawyers? If I look at their source am I tainted forever?

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  2. Helpful maybe? by Joey+Vegetables · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As a user and developer of both custom 'Doze software (by day, for $) and OSS (at night, not yet for $) . . .

    Microsoft is not likely to release these under a genuinely Free or Open Source license . . . but . . . they will be helpful to me as a 'Doze developer by helping me find and work around and/or fix implementation bugs in Windows.Forms.

    I've thus far not had a use for Mono or Dot.GNU, but I suspect that the release will help them for the same reason it will help me: they won't be able to use the source directly but it will help them to find and either fix or (if necessary) re-implement Microsoft bugs upon which software may rely.

    --

    Nonaggression works!
  3. 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.