Developer: Open Source is our next level: Microsoft

Open Source is our next level: Microsoft

As open source is adopted on a range of platforms, understanding, engaging and supporting open source development will continue to be fundamental to enabling more customer choice, says Sam Ramji

Thursday, September 03, 2009

CIOL: What is Microsoft’s road map for working with open source communities three to five years down the road?

SR: We’re focused on building sustainable business strategies for open source at Microsoft.

Stemming from that we see open source playing into three key areas, one of which is the use of “inbound” open source and the open source development model to make our software development processes more efficient.

Good examples of this include what we did recently with jQuery in Visual Studio 2008, the implementation of OpenPegasus connectors and adaptors into System Center Operations Manager, and work that the Microsoft High Performance Computing team did with the Argonne National Lab (ANL) to source its MPICH2 implementation, which is a portable implementation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) used in cluster computing and super computers.

CIOL: Can you share more on open-edge strategy where you provide open application programming interfaces and software development kits

SR: For the past 34 years Microsoft has had an open-edge strategy where we provide open application programming interfaces and software development kits. Open source is the next level in our effort to create broad platform adoption. An example of that is the AJAX Control Toolkit. Our efforts in interoperability are also part of Microsoft’s product evangelism process, such as giving Windows functionality more visibility through PHP applications.

The next area is using open source to reduce marketing and sales costs or to try out new features that highlight parts of the platform customers haven’t seen before. The open source educational tools recently released for Microsoft Office are a great example.

Specifically, the add-ins for mathematical and chemical notation are enabling teachers and students to see that they can use Office for a range of new things they weren’t aware of. In addition to using LaTeX, a powerful but complex documentation preparation system, to lay out mathematical problems, teachers are seeing the new value they can get out of Microsoft Word.

©CIOL Bureau

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Panduranga Nayak said on 9/28/2009 2:29:56 PM:
Its been long time, I read an article on open source especially from Microsoft on open source. I wonder how these guys can quote, they are planning for open source, when they are not doing a single penny of work for open source community. I hope the author of this article will make sure to highlight this pat in is next articles.

to Panduranga Nayak

Pulakeshi said on 9/26/2009 10:21:05 AM:
Microsost has reliased that this is the time to go open source just because of global economy slowdown.

to Pulakeshi

Ravi Kumar said on 9/25/2009 3:06:26 PM:
You are right Balachander Ganesan. Even I thought the same. I know these guys from many years and they keep on saying that they are doing a lot for open source industry. In reality, they are not doing nothing. On the other side, the kind of monopoly they have made in market should be appreciated especially in operating system area

to Ravi Kumar

Collapse <div runat='server' id=Comm21392 class='CommentsContainer'><span class='commentsFrom' style='float:left;'>Balachander Ganesan said on 9/23/2009 10:25:23 PM: </span><br/>Very funny.

Microsoft will never do anything for Open Source community.

Even now this 20,000 lines of code is developed for MS Windows server 2008 for improving performance because Microsoft share in Server industry is very small.

In order to boost their server sales they support open source. So, that they can easily convince the customers to buy their server and in future they may move to Linux without any deficiency in performance.

Never look for any Open Source stuff from Microsoft. However, I like MS products equally to Open Source products. May be in future Open Source will win the battle and I will switch over there :)<div class='CommentLineContainer'><input type=button onClick='MoveComm(21392,ctl00_ctl00_ctl00_cphMainContentSection_cphMainContentSection_cphSection1ContentPart_ThreadedComments1_txtPid);' value='Reply'/> to Balachander Ganesan </div>

Balachander Ganesan said on 9/23/2009 10:25:23 PM:
Very funny. Microsoft will never do anything for Open Source community. Even now this 20,000 lines of code is developed for MS Windows server 2008 for improving performance because Microsoft share in Server industry is very small. In order to boost their server sales they support open source. So, that they can easily convince the customers to buy their server and in future they may move to Linux without any deficiency in performance. Never look for any Open Source stuff from Microsoft. However, I like MS products equally to Open Source products. May be in future Open Source will win the battle and I will switch over there :)

to Balachander Ganesan

Sanu said on 9/24/2009 3:47:43 PM:
Very very funny... indeed.

to Sanu

Goodman said on 9/15/2009 2:19:22 PM:
Can anyone confirm that Microsoft employees are using open source office applications in their offices. Is it true????

to Goodman

Deepak said on 9/14/2009 5:15:32 PM:
What a comment Mickey, completely agree with you. Microsoft will not do anythng in open source

to Deepak

Mickey said on 9/14/2009 12:14:13 PM:
Microsoft is just meant to boast themself. I know that they are not doing anything in the field of OPen SOurce. These stories are just for publicity keeping other stuff in mind. Let them give one good example of open source from their company??? I will be happy to hear it. Hope even others will join with me. By the way, that link is worth clicking.

to Mickey

Surya Prakash said on 9/14/2009 11:58:31 AM:
Thanks for sharing the link. I was not aware of this

to Surya Prakash

Collapse <div runat='server' id=Comm19626 class='CommentsContainer'><span class='commentsFrom' style='float:left;'>jithesh said on 9/4/2009 10:59:25 AM: </span><br/>Yeah... And this is how they are working towards their so called Next Level..

http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Free_software_distributors_paying_patent_tax<div class='CommentLineContainer'><input type=button onClick='MoveComm(19626,ctl00_ctl00_ctl00_cphMainContentSection_cphMainContentSection_cphSection1ContentPart_ThreadedComments1_txtPid);' value='Reply'/> to jithesh </div>

jithesh said on 9/4/2009 10:59:25 AM:
Yeah... And this is how they are working towards their so called Next Level.. http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Free_software_distributors_paying_patent_tax

to jithesh