Microsoft Bans Open Source From the Windows Market

Blacklaw writes "Microsoft has raised the ire of the open source community with its Windows Marketplace licence by specifically refusing to allow software covered under an open licence to be distributed. The licence, which anyone wishing to distribute Windows, Windows Phone, or Xbox applications through the company's copy of Apple's App Store is required to agree to, is the usual torrent of legalese — but hides a nasty surprise for those who support open source ideals."

Comments

Re:"We own it"

[zill]

Please allow me to play the devil's advocate on this one:

MS actively fights against open source.

Microsoft is a corporation and thus it has only one mandate: to maximize profit. As a shareholder of Microsoft, I expect it to do everything in its power to generate profit. I expect its CEO to spread FUD against FOSS at every chance, because that's part of his job description. I even expect it to utilize illegeal practices, as long as the expect profit is greater than the cost of settlement.

If Microsoft is not fighting against open source at every opportunity, the shareholders can sue the board of directors on the ground that they failed to fulfilled their duty of care. Microsoft already lost to FOSS in the server realm, and if it doesn't spread FUD it will completely lose the desktop realm as well.