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

"We own it"

[TheRealMindChild]

It is likely that Microsoft is asserting control over what you put up there. Sort of like when you upload your photo to site x and in the ToS they have "We reserve the right to use your picture in anyway we can possibly find to make money off of it" (probably not exact wording). I could be talking out of my ass too.

Re:GPLv3, bleh

[nedlohs]

What does the term "not limited to" mean to your legal expert opinion?

How is the GPLv2 not covered by:

“Excluded License” means any license requiring, as a condition of use, modification and/or
distribution of the software subject to the license, that the software or other software combined
and/or distributed with it be (i) disclosed or distributed in source code form; (ii) licensed for the
purpose of making derivative works; or (iii) redistributable at no charge.

again in your expert legal opinion?

This is good for Android.

[miffo.swe]

This is good for Android more than its bad for Microsoft. Their goal seems to be making all apps costing money to avoid having a store like Androids where you can find both free excellent apps and very good paid apps living side by side.

Im not sure this will work out as planned because tons of developers wont help if you dont have the userbase to support them.

Re:Hahahahaha !! ok fire justifications ...

[amliebsch]

The justification is very obvious: Microsoft doesn't want to violate the GPL. Since it feels that it cannot redistribute software in a manner that would comply with the GPL, it will not redistribute that software. This is how the GPL is *supposed* to work.

This isnt surprising, nor is it particuarly evil

[jonwil]

Basically what Microsoft is banning is code covered by licenses that contain terms that would subject Microsoft code to the license or that contain terms that are incompatible with the Microsoft Windows Phone DRM and lockdowns (i.e. any license where its a violation to distribute the software in a way that cant be copied or modified or whatever)

In simple terms it says that any code covered under a license that is incompatible with the marketplace rules is not allowed in the marketplace.

The same thing happened with a GPLv3 app in the Apple App Store, it was removed because the GPLv3 is not compatible with the App Store DRM.

Re:someone, please explain this to me

[Daniel Phillips]

This makes no sense to me at all. Why would the status of the source code for software distributed through the app store interest Microsoft?

It makes sense if you suppose that one of the prime directives Gates issued to Ballmer on handover was:

  1. Confront and eradicate open source wherever it gains a foothold regardless of the cost or collateral damage.

A few of the innumerable examples:

  * Microsoft expending credibility and undermining ISO by forcing through MOOXML
  * Microsoft killing off the low cost netbook market in order to prevent Linux distribution
  * Microsoft planting a mole at great legal risk to end Meego and QT development by Nokia
  * This one, Microsoft not allowing distribution of open source applications through its phone market

Its nice that nearly all these efforts have backfired and just served to inspire the community to greater efforts. I expect this one will backfire in a major way by preventing any open source community from forming around Microsoft's phones. So much the better I say.