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Microsoft Blesses LGPL, Joins Apache Foundation
Penguinisto writes "According to a somewhat jaw-dropping story in The Register, it appears that Microsoft has performed a trifecta of geek-scaring feats: They have joined the Apache Software Foundation as a Platinum member(at $100K USD a year), submitted LGPL-licensed patches for ADOdb, and have pledged to expand their Open Specifications Promise by adding to the list more than 100 protocols for interoperability between its Windows Server and the Windows client. While I sincerely doubt they'll release Vista under a GPL license anytime soon, this is certainly an unexpected series of moves on their part, and could possibly lead to more OSS (as opposed to 'Shared Source') interactivity between what is arguably Linux' greatest adversary and the Open Source community." (We mentioned the announced support for the Apache Foundation earlier today, as well.)
He doesn't like cold.
I think M$ has seen the writing on the wall. With the utter failure of Vista, and Apple's skyrocketing market share, it's only a matter of time.
I am with Linus on this one
Hey, Duke Nukem Forever still isn't out. It's not the end of the world YET.
In unrelated news, evolution picks up pace as pigs gain wings.
I love seeing things get open sourced just as much as the next guy, but who in their right mind would WANT the source code for Vista?
Wasn't the Java situation more like embrace, extend, lawsuit, retreat?
The Mayans never claimed the world would end. They only claimed their funky calendar would run out of days.
Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
Mr. Burns: Smithers I'm thinking about donating some money to the orphanage... when pigs fly!
(Smithers and Burns both laughing)
(Homer's BBQ pig flies past the window)
Smithers: Will you be making that donation now, sir?
Mr. Burns: Eh, I'd rather not.
Since when is 25 old? I just turned 25 and have yet to tell kids to "Get off my lawn", "Turn down that music" or say "Back in my day..."
not every single employee at Microsoft is evil
Are you sure?
Ah, you young whippersnappers, back in my day 25 was plenty old! We sang the hacker song, enjoyed the writings of ESR and we all coded in vi...uphill...both ways. Now turn down that music and get off my lawn!
April Foo..hmm, no
... microsoft = evil) ... the world makes sense again.
I don't get it.
All my explanations about how microsoft doesn't care about anything except taking money aren't going to make sense anymore...
Oh wait, somebody mentioned "it's a trap"...
Ah... (my head is clearing now
(Man, they're getting good at this)
microsoft uses GNU?
I'm 26, and back in my day young'uns like you would get off my lawn and turn down your music without needing to be told. *waves cane*
nothing stinks about this particular movement, albeit deep in the bowels of the company
Are you saying Microsoft's shit don't stink?
Dear Apache Foundation,
You may want to run smallpox cultures on the yearly $100k from Microsoft. Also, screen carefully any code submissions from the aforementioned containing fragments such as: "Diseases.smallpox.infect(apache_foundation);".
I can't remember the last time I forgot anything.
So I can convert it one file with a bunch of simple text config lines.
e.g. DRM_enable="NO"
Windows-Firewall_enable="NO"
Office-2007_reduce_to_sane_options="100"
Crash_screen_color="PURPLE"
XP_driver_compat="YES"
and so on, kind of like a really long rc.conf file.
Meh. That means nothin'. You don't know of any charismatic, quasi-Messianic personalities rising to power at the moment, do you?
DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
A wise man once passed away and went to Heaven. He asked God when Duke Nukem Forever would be released. God replied, "Not in my lifetime."
yes, but they had no era defined for what happened next
Ah, so the world will end not with a bang, but with a segfault.
This is clearly the solution to today's MS's woes, Who would companies trust to support their Windows systems if they were open? Microsoft or a third party two bits firm?
What would be the most used Windows distro? Microsoft's or any other?
Software is services and support. The sooner MS realizes this and embraces and genuinely extends technology, the sooner we will forgive all their sins and welcome them to the open ecosystem.
Yeah, hell freezing over would be nice as well.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
13.0.0.0.0 is supposed to be the end of the present creation, rather than just a change of the same significance as the rollover to 12.0.0.0.0 from 11.19.19.17.19.
Maybe 13.0.0.0.0 is the era of the linux desktop.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
So what, now that balmer is free of gates' meddling he can finally express his love of oss ? :)
This is a joke. I am joking. Joke joke joke.
Dear Open Source Community,
We were wrong and we're sorry. As a token of our apology, here's a nice big wooden horse.
Sincerely,
Microsoft
Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
The release of this April Fools gag was handled by the Vista team.
I didn't know they had IP addresses back then.
It's the industry we're in. IT people measure their life in internet years and 25 is middle-age. (just like in porn)
I'm 30 and I am growing less receptive of new things. "Get off my lawn" has been supplanted by "Enough with the Twitter bullshit" and "take your microblog and shove it up your ass"
The only winning move is not to play.
Exactly. That lousy strategy wouldn't work with somebody like me, who maims and kills unarmed resistor and capacitors on a daily basis and likes it!