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Sep. 14, 2009

There are still some people that believe Microsoft's CodePlex project is new, but it isn't. This isn't surprising, considering the speed at which open source is growing.

In fact Microsoft initiated its CodePlex project back in October of last year as a beta initiative.

According to its website, Code Plex is a non-profit foundation formed with the mission of enabling the exchange of code and the better understanding among software companies and the Linux and open source communities.

There's no question that Microsoft wants to make good with Linux and the open source segment of the industry and CodePlex is certainly an initiative in the right direction. But will it be successful? That of course remains to be seen, though there's a good percentage of people that would want CodePlex to be successful.

Lately, and to a varying degree of skepticism, some have been critical of Microsoft's open-source projects when they didn't believe they were created in the best interest of the open source community. A good example is Microsoft's Port25 website, which is supposed to represent the 'Open Source Community from Microsoft'.

Many observers say Port25 has traditionally offered minimal support or representation for open source projects which are native only to the Windows platform.

When some are asked about the possible open-source community criticism with a Microsoft-sponsored initiative, that's when opinions vary widely.

The CodePlex website states that it is completely independent from Microsoft with its own distinct mission, vision, values and even charter. Basically, it is intended to facilitate the exchange of code and promote a better understanding of software and various applications in the Linux and open source community as a whole.

This is very different from the earlier Port25 project, which some say was owned, maintained and controlled by the software giant. The Port25 website states that its mission is to be a window into the collaborative efforts which are occurring between Microsoft and open source communities.

Overall, Microsoft's sponsorship of its CodePlex initiative is intended to address a core problem which it currently faces as the large software company that it is, and which other software companies in the industry face as well. That problem is "how to allow greater participation in Linux and open source projects."

In analyzing Microsoft's corporate ambitions, Code Plex should not be seen as a sudden change in direction, but rather as another evolutionary step by the company in terms of recognizing and accepting the importance of open source as a whole.

Overall, Microsoft has been more supportive of open source projects in the last year. Its decision to start the CodePlex open source initiative is seen by some as beneficial in helping stimulate a rich open source developer environment on the Windows platform.

Whether CodePlex is embraced by the Open Source community remains to be seen, but Microsoft still believes it's in the best interest of everybody concerned to be involved with this program.

Time will tell, but in the next 3 to 6 months, it will be interesting to see the actual level of use the Linux and open source community will make of CodePlex.

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Source: Microsoft.

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