blowdart - Slashdot User

Submission + - Microsoft release their ASP.NET MVC as open source

Submitted by blowdart on Thursday April 02, 2009 @02:59AM

blowdart writes: Since its initial release the Microsoft MVC package has been free (as in gratis) with the source available on Microsoft's own open source hosting platform, CodePlex. Scott Guthrie blogged yesterday that it was now licensed under the MS-Pl, an OSI approved open source license. The MS-Pl has no platform restrictions and provides broad rights to modify and redistribute the source code. It's another example of toe dipping into open source with developer tools and platforms, MEF (Managed Extensibility Framework) is another .NET Framework component that's MS-PL, as is the DLR (Dynamic Language Runtime), IronRuby, the Ajax Control Toolkit and Silverlight Toolkit. WiX, a toolset to write install packages, is licensed under the Common Public License.

Is this now the start of a trend, with a major platforms released under an open source license? Does it make sense for developer tools to be open sourced without affecting their core business of selling operating systems and software?

Submission + - Possession of the Anarchist's Cookbook==Terrorist

Submitted by Anonymous Terrorist on Sunday October 07, 2007 @04:14PM

Anonymous Terrorist writes: Back in the midsts of time, when I was a lad and gopher was the height of information retrieval I read The Anarchist's Cookbook in one huge text file. Now it appears the UK government considers possession of the book an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 and is prosecuting a 17 year old boy, in part, for having a copy of the book.

Submission + - How not to promote open source.

Submitted by blowdart on Monday May 21, 2007 @03:29PM

blowdart writes: gnu is promoting ogg vorbis though www.playogg.com.

This is the perfect example of how not to do it; promoting a free audio format is laudable, but they promote it by suggesting to users that they .... download an entirely new media player.

iTunes users won't give up iTunes just for a codec. WMP users won't give up WMP just for a codec. In fact there are ways to get Ogg into those players; but what do GNU do? ignore how users currently work to push an open source media player along with the codec. This just is not realistic. There must be a better way, right?

Submission + - Sony & Apple stop you burning Bob Dylan

Submitted by blowdart on Saturday September 02, 2006 @03:33PM

blowdart writes: Kim Cameron, Microsoft's Identity Guy has discovered that Sony and Apple have changed the rules. The permissions for Bob Dylan's Modern Times, a Sony record, does not allow 6 tracks to be burnt to CD. Oh and it looks like you're not told about this until you try to burn ...

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