Microsoft Puts C# and the CLI Under "Community Promise"

FishWithAHammer writes "Peter Galli of Microsoft posted a blog entry on Port25 today, regarding the explicit placement of C# and the Common Language Infrastructure (the ECMA standard that underpins .NET) under their Community Promise: 'It is important to note that, under the Community Promise, anyone can freely implement these specifications with their technology, code, and solutions. You do not need to sign a license agreement, or otherwise communicate to Microsoft how you will implement the specifications. ... Under the Community Promise, Microsoft provides assurance that it will not assert its Necessary Claims against anyone who makes, uses, sells, offers for sale, imports, or distributes any Covered Implementation under any type of development or distribution model, including open-source licensing models such as the LGPL or GPL.'" Adds reader anshulajain: "Understandably, Miguel De Icaza is jumping with joy."

Comments

No Really Definite Confirmation of This Yet

[eldavojohn]

So after reading the article, the source seems to be Peter Galli's blog:

"The Community Promise is an excellent vehicle and, in this situation, ensures the best balance of interoperability and flexibility for developers," Scott Guthrie, the Corporate Vice President for the .Net Developer Platform, told me July 6.

Ok, I certainly hope he received more than just that before he began proclaiming to the world that Microsoft is doing such a thing.

The optimist in me is excited. The skeptical in me is dubious, confused and does not trust blogs. It's not listed on Microsoft's list of products under the Community Promise so I'm going to refrain from breaking out the champagne until all the facts are finalized.

Anyone else got a better source for this than a loosely affiliated blog that bills itself as "Communication from the Open Source Community at Microsoft" ?

Re:No Really Definite Confirmation of This Yet

[Locutus]

it was said, "that still doesn't mean you get anything useful - if you write a simple app that does nothing, you're fine." and then goes on to mention doing a GUI, amongst other types of applications is going to require using some .Net tied libraries. While it was not _that_ clearly stated, the OP was really saying that using C# and the CLI to write more complex applications is very likely to be leveraging libraries instead of every aspect being written from scratch and those libraries are based on Microsoft's .Net patented designs.
 

The fact that Microsoft is mentioning this stuff about C# and the CLI while saying nothing about the .Net patents and libraries should be a red flag because the issue is Mono. Mono is C#, CLI and .Net libraries. They are dancing around the main issue and almost everyone is missing this.
 

LoB
 

Implementations in progress appear not covered

[tepples]

From the Microsoft Community Promise, with my emphasis:

Microsoft irrevocably promises not to assert any Microsoft Necessary Claims against you for making, using, selling, offering for sale, importing or distributing any implementation, to the extent it conforms to one of the Covered Specifications, and is compliant with all of the required parts of the mandatory provisions of that specification ("Covered Implementation") [...] The CP applies only if the implementation conforms fully to required portions of the specification. Partial implementations are not covered.

Free software is often distributed to the public while in an incomplete state. This Community Promise appears not to apply to such an implementation that is published before it is completely compliant.