Microsoft 'Shared Source' Attempts to Hijack FOSS

aacc1313 writes "An article that details how Open Source is being hijacked by Microsoft and the sort via 'Shared Source' licenses and how Open Source licenses have become so much more confusing. From the article, "The confusion stems from the fact that Microsoft's 'shared source' program includes three proprietary licenses as well, whose names are similar in some ways to the open-source licenses. Thus, while the Microsoft Reciprocal License has been approved by OSI, the Microsoft Limited Reciprocal License (Ms-LRL) is not, because it allows users to modify and redistribute the software only on the Windows platform" and "The 'shared source' program was and is Microsoft's way of fighting the open source world, allowing customers to inspect Microsoft source code without giving those customers the right to modify or redistribute the code. In other words, "shared source" is not open source, and shouldn't be confused with it.""

Comments

NOT the point

[Anonymous Coward]

This has nothing to do with providing freedom, auditing, or anything else. It's yet another way for microsoft to grow rich and expand their monopoly by perverting the mindshare and traction that good ideas gain within the IT industry.

They did it with the generic concept of "Windows"; they tried to hijack an entire TLD with dot-net [no, seriously, why else do you think they called it that?]; they did it with (Instant) Messenger [a number of times], they did with their so-called "OpenXML" [hijacking BOTH OpenOffice and open, XML-based formats], and they tried it with Shared Source. I'm SURE there other examples.