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Microsoft wants open-source recruits for new model army

yeah, right.

Embrace. Extend. Extinguish 

Microsoft hasn't changed those tactics in over 20 years. Sad part is, they keep finding deliberately ignorant idiots who refuse to learn from the past, and keep thinking that "this time" Microsoft has changed. Fools.

Anonymous Coward

Can we have hash and merge join in Linq Bill? 

For in memory queries of course.

Open sauce? Someone's joking with MS.

Anonymous Coward

Leopard (sic) can't change it's spots... 

Jobs Horns

Everything M$ does they do to somehow strengthen their position (Vista excepted). M$ making nice with Open Source and GPL? Somehow I don't think so, it is more likely that this is a tactical move in a larger overall strategy, I don't know what the moves in the game will be but I can surmise that in the end-game M$ wants to be the overall winner, not sharing with anyone.

Anonymous Coward

Microsoft releasing Mumps? 

Gates Horns

When I first saw this article I thought Microsoft was winding back the clock and releasing their own version of MUMPS(Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System), more commonly know in the healthcare circles as "M".

A lot of 'M' coders must have thought all their christmas's had come at once when they saw the byline.

Anonymous Coward

Just like letting people have a full of Office 

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for a month. Get all their data moved to a different format and then, they have to pay or all that info is essentially useless. Kinda gives me that same feeling.

Captain DaFt

Is it just me... 

Gates Horns

Or is Microsoft using the "Shotgun" approach to software? It seems hardly a week goes by lately that they're not announcing a new programming language, version/flavor of Windows, new features on existing products, new algorithm based on other's software, etc. It's like they're frantically throwing everything they can think of, hoping that something will stick to the wall. *

Here's a clue Ballmer, put your software engineers to work fixing your big three, Windows, Word, and Outlook, get them to work without sucking, THEN go chasing after everybody else's coat tails!

(Oh, while you're at it, could you at least do something about Xbox's "Red ring of Death"?)

* No chair jokes... Please!

prathlev

But it isn't really open sauce 

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The problem is that the OSP isn't really useful with regards to open sauce.

http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2008/osp-gpl.html

You can't write code using OSP covered items and honour the GPL.

Franklyn Dodd

WTH 

Alert

Right so basically MS release M under SOA and using SQL at the PDC, adding RIA to XML to make a DSL and an XAML for their OSP hoping for another XML.

Why didn't you just say so?

Bob Foster

And in the darkness bind them........ 

Gates Horns

Microsoft never change, by controlling data formats and programming languages you can control the market.

Ohh it's open source?, not under the GPL!, and why's it called 'M' (for Microsoft) no 'O' for Open?

Que Microsoft salesman "Of course it's an open standard, but Microsoft developed it therefore we are naturally have the best product's to use it, and we are of course heavily influential in it's direction, as the copyright holder (shark like smile)"

Also get's round those embarrassing questions that occurred with OOXML.

Microsoft are kind of like that creepy guy your parents told you never to take sweets from

Dave

@Article 

Dead Vulture

"people have been lapping up Silverlight"

Really? Who?

Eduard Coli

Charge of (Silver)-light brigade 

Gates Horns

Surely even the most screen bound programmer by now knows the Microserf motives in anything like this are selfish. Look at the problems with C# and the spotty yes we will then no we won't licensing that M$ pulled. They are trying to do anything to force closed source into open and then sue.

John Savard

Suitably Impressed 

That you can expect your British readers, at least, to remember their history lessons about Oliver Cromwell well enough to get the joke in this article's title.

Inachu

So easy to see what MS is doing. 

Flame

Making the Cliud OS Azure to meet Open source specs to lure in free programming tards.

Then they will have to sign that even though Azure cloud programming will be open source Microsoft will retain the rights to translate convey /convert said open source azure cloud program into a closed source program.

Easy way to chain the open source community and lock them in virtual DLL circle of hell.