Shared source is Microsoft’s framework for sharing computer program source code with individuals and organizations. Microsoft’s Shared Source Initiative includes a spectrum of technologies and licenses. Most of its offerings are available for download by anyone. For these programs there are eligibility criteria to be met. Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... A computer program is a collection of instructions that describe a task, or set of tasks, to be carried out by a computer. ... Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. ...

The licenses associated with the offerings range from allowing only viewing of the code for reference, to allowing it to be modified and redistributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Benefits of shared source

The common benifit of all the Shared Source programs is the availability of source code for reference when developing complementary systems. For example, having the source code to significant portions of an operating system aids application developers in maintaining stability and consistency in their own programs.^{[citation needed]} The availability of source code also permits review and auditing from a security perspective, something which some large corporations and governments are now mandating.

Some of the Shared Source licenses share many of the benefits (and drawbacks) of open source licenses^{[citation needed]}. From a "downstream" developer's standpoint the Microsoft Permissive License and Microsoft Community License, could be characterized as open source licenses^{[citation needed]}.

Other Shared Source licenses allow the copyright holder to retain much tighter control over the use of their product than open source licenses, which generally include the voluntary abdication of many of the author's rights. From the perspective of companies which are used to developing proprietary software, this is a smaller transition to make, and may be seen as an interim step to full open source disclosure.

Microsoft's Shared Source Initiative has been imitated^{[citation needed]} by other companies such as RISC OS Open Limited.^[1]

Notable shared source programs

Microsoft Enterprise Source Licensing Program

Microsoft gives enterprise customers viewing access to some parts of some versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. The ESLP license agreement is among the most restrictive of the licenses associated with Shared Source programs, allowing no modifications of the code. “Windows” redirects here. ... An operating system (OS) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer. ...

Microsoft Windows Academic Program

The Windows Academic Program provides universities worldwide with concepts, Windows kernel source code, and projects useful for integrating core Windows kernel technologies into teaching and research.

Microsoft Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure

The first widely-distributed shared source program is Shared Source CLI, the shared source implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure. The licensing permits non-commercial modification and distribution of the source code, as long as all distributions include the original license, or one encompassing the original terms ^[2]. The Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure (SSCLI), previously codenamed Rotor, is Microsofts shared source implementation of the CLI, the core of . ... Visual overview of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) The Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) is an open specification developed by Microsoft that describes the executable code and runtime environment that form the core of the Microsoft . ...

Microsoft Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure is neither free software according to the Free Software Foundation,^[3] nor OSI-approved open source. Clockwise from top: The logo of the GNU Project, the Linux kernel mascot Tux, and the BSD Daemon Free software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions only... The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit corporation founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement (free as in freedom), and in particular the GNU project. ... The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. ... Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ...

Windows Installer XML (WiX)

WiX is a toolset for advanced Windows developers that builds Windows installation packages from XML source code. The first Microsoft Shared Source offering to be released on SourceForge, the WiX toolset is licensed under the Common Public License (CPL).

ASP.Net AJAX Control Toolkit

The ASP.Net AJAX Control Toolkit is a set of controls and extenders that use AJAX technologies to enable developers to easily improve the client experience on their web sites. The ASP.Net AJAX Control Toolkit, licensed under the Microsoft Public license (MS-PL), is accessible on CodePlex, Microsoft’s online community development portal for collaborative software development projects. CodePlex is an open source project hosting website from Microsoft. ...

Notable shared source licenses

Parts of this article may be confusing or unclear. Please help clarify the article. Suggestions may be on the talk page. (August 2007)

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

Open Source Licenses

Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL)

This is the least restrictive of the Microsoft licenses and allows for distribution of compiled derived code for either commercial or non-commercial purposes. Redistribution of the source code itself is restricted as in the Ms-RL.^[4] Initially titled Microsoft Permissive License, it was renamed to Microsoft Public License while being reviewed for approval by the OSI. The license has been approved on October 12, 2007.^[5] The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. ...

Microsoft Reciprocal License (Ms-RL)

This Microsoft license allows for distribution of derived code so long as the modified source files are included and retain the Ms-RL.^[6]. The Ms-RL allows those files in the distribution that do not contain code originally licensed under Ms-RL to be licensed according to the intellectual property creator’s choosing. This is equivalent to the GPL with a typical "linking exception". Initially known as the Microsoft Community License, it was renamed during the OSI approval process.

On December 9, 2005, the Ms-RL license was submitted to the Open Source Initiative for approval by John Cowan.^[7] OSI then contacted Microsoft and asked if they wanted OSI to proceed. Microsoft replied that they did not wish to be reactive and that they needed time to review such a decision. ^[8] Then at OSCON in July 2007 Bill Hilf announced that Microsoft had now formally submitted Ms-PL and Ms-RL to OSI for approval. ^[9] It was eventually approved October 12, 2007 along with the Ms-PL.^[5] is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. ... An OSCON (Open Source Convention) is an annual convention to talk about Open Source software, such as Linux, MySQL, Perl, and Python. ... Bill Hilf leads the Linux and Open Source Software technology group at Microsoft. ... OSI is primarily used as an abbreviation and has many meanings: OSI Pharmaceuticals, an American pharmaceutical company OSI Restaurant Partners, the restaurant and entertainment group that includes Outback Steakhouse OSI Systems a company that manufactures security scanners and medical equipment based in California Olomouc Summer Institute, an educational program for...

Non-open Source Licenses

Microsoft Reference License

This is the most restrictive of the Microsoft Licenses. The source code is made available to view for reference purposes only. Developers may not distribute or modify the code for commercial or non-commercial purposes.^[10] The license has previously been abbreviated Ms-RL, but Ms-RL now refers to the Microsoft Reciprocal License. ^[6]

Microsoft Limited Public License (Ms-LPL)

This is a version of the Microsoft Permissive License in which rights are only granted to developers of Microsoft Windows-based software.^[11] This license is not open source, as defined by the OSI, because it violates the stipulation that open-source licenses must be technology-neutral.^[12] “Windows” redirects here. ... The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. ...

Microsoft Limited Reciprocal License (Ms-LRL)

This is a version of the Microsoft Reciprocal License in which rights are only granted when developing software for a Microsoft Windows platform.^[13] Like the Ms-LPL, this license is not open source because it is not technology-neutral.

Criticism

Although two of the Shared Source licenses were interpreted as free software or open source licenses by FSF Europe and OSI, the distribution of many licenses is considered an attempt to obfuscate the meaning of "Shared Source" and generate support from the free software community.^[14] FSF Europes logo The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSF Europe) was founded in 2001 as the sister organisation of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in the USA to take care of all aspects of Free Software in Europe. ... OSI is primarily used as an abbreviation and has many meanings: OSI Pharmaceuticals, an American pharmaceutical company OSI Restaurant Partners, the restaurant and entertainment group that includes Outback Steakhouse OSI Systems a company that manufactures security scanners and medical equipment based in California Olomouc Summer Institute, an educational program for... // The free software community is also called the open source community or the Linux community. ...

Some Free software enthusiasts see some or all of the Shared Source licenses as equal to proprietary licenses. Free software activist Richard Stallman has said that Shared Source is "just another name for a nondisclosure agreement". Prominent open source figure Bruce Perens has described its policies as "look but don't touch—and we control everything".^[15] Clockwise from top: The logo of the GNU Project, the Linux kernel mascot Tux, and the BSD Daemon Free software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions only... Richard Matthew Stallman (born March 16, 1953), often abbreviated rms,[1] is a software freedom activist, hacker,[2] and software developer. ... Bruce Perens is a leader in the Open Source and Free Software community. ...

See also

• Free Software
• Glossary of legal terms in technology
• Open Source

Clockwise from top: The logo of the GNU Project, the Linux kernel mascot Tux, and the BSD Daemon Free software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions only... The legal aspects of technology involve many different terms. ... Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.riscosopen.org/
2. ^ As written in the license, examples of commercial purposes would be running business operations, licensing, leasing, or selling the Software, or distributing the Software for use with commercial products
3. ^ FSF Licenses
4. ^ Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL).
5. ^ ^{a b} OSI Approves Microsoft License Submissions (2007-10-17).
6. ^ ^{a b} Microsoft Reciprocal License (Ms-RL).
7. ^ John Cowan (2005-12-09). For Approval: Microsoft Community License. license-discuss mailing list.
8. ^ Peter Galli. "Blogger Can't Tempt Microsoft To Drink OSI Kool-Aid", eWeek, 2006-08-22. 
9. ^ Tim O'Reilly. "O'Reilly Microsoft to Submit Shared Source Licenses to OSI", O'Reilly Radar, 2007-07-26. 
10. ^ Microsoft Reference License.
11. ^ Microsoft Limited Public License (Ms-LPL).
12. ^ The Open Source Definition. Open Source Initiative.
13. ^ Microsoft Limited Reciprocal License (Ms-LRL).
14. ^ FSF Europe
15. ^ Perens

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... eWeek:the Enterprise Newsweekly is a weekly magazine published by Ziff Davis Media, featuring editorials, reviews, labs and rumors. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. ...

External links

• Microsoft Shared Source Initiative Home Page
• Microsoft Shared Source Basics
• List of Microsoft Shared Source Licensing Programs
• Video interview with Jon Rosenberg, Director of Shared Source Programs at Microsoft
• Opening Windows, Just a Little. Wired News. Retrieved on August 31, 2005.
• Stallman takes Gates to task over GPL. ZDNet. Retrieved on October 17, 2005.
• On 'Shared-Source' by Michael Tiemann. Open Source Initiative. Retrieved on October 17, 2005.
• GNU's List of Non-Free Licenses
• CodePlex