Microsoft POIsed to Control an Apache Project

EddieC 0 578 Views

Microsoft it was disclosed today will become a sponsor of the Apache Software Foundation, forking over US$100,000 a year for theprivilege . In return, Redmond will gain access to the Apache POI project, a Java port of file formats of Microsoft's Office suite of applications.

Based on Microsoft's history, I have my suspicions about the company's motives. Yes, it's been exhibiting a more open stance of late, but the sting of its exclusionary practices and once-closed file formats remains. But Microsoft has been moving toward opening its formats recently, and I'm willing to believe the move is yet another effort at interoperability. Besides, I hear that Apache's governance model is pretty tight.

To help explain the strategy, Sam Ramji, director of Microsoft's open source software lab, described an , what the move is to the company and what it is not.

"It is not a move away from IIS as Microsoft’s strategic web server technology. We have invested significantly in refactoring and adding new, state-of-the-art features to IIS, including support for PHP. We will continue to invest in IIS for the long term and are currently under way with development of IIS 8.

"It is a strong endorsement of The Apache Way, and opens a new chapter in our relationship with the ASF. We have worked with Apache POI, Apache Axis2, Jakarta, and other projects in the last year, and we will continue our technical support and interoperability testing work for this open source software."

I've been glad to see Microsoft's recent moves toward openness. Maybe it will blossom into an open version of Windows.

Dani AI

Generated

Corporate sponsorship of an open‑source project understandably raises worry about one company “taking over.” That concern voiced by is common, but the Apache model separates money from technical control: individual projects are run by their Project Management Committees and by merit‑based committers, not by donors. (apache.org)

For , the practical point is this: open source alternatives (Linux, LibreOffice, etc.) serve different needs than open‑sourcing a dominant product. When a vendor supports an open project it usually brings testing, infrastructure, and interoperability work — not automatic editorial control — because releases, commit access, and IP rules are governed by foundation processes and the project community. The foundation’s sponsorship program is a way to fund operations while keeping project governance public. (apache.org)

How to check for yourself and act if you care about independence:

  • Verify the project’s PMC and committer list and watch decisions on the dev mailing list.
  • Inspect recent commits and release votes to see who drives changes.
  • Confirm contributor agreements and licensing so code stays usable by all.
  • If you want influence, contribute: filing well‑scoped patches, testing releases, and participating on lists is the usual path to committership. (apache.org)

A final note of caution: sponsorship reduces friction for development but can shift priorities toward a sponsor’s needs. The most reliable protection is an active, visible community that vets releases and welcomes new contributors. If shaping the project matters, engaging on the mailing lists and contributing is the fastest, most effective route — that’s how projects change. (community.apache.org)

Member Avatar for WolfPack
WolfPack 491 Posting Virtuoso

What is so special of having an open version of Windows? Isn't the already available versions of Linux enough? I mean everyone says that OpenOffice is superior to Word, Firefox to IE, Ubuntu to Vista.. and so on, so why would people need the source of a inferior product when there are superior products already available? Or is it the cash that Windows is making that you are after?

Member Avatar for Aia
Aia 1,977 Nearly a Posting Maven

I can not wait for the day they will open Windows 3.1, which I prefer over Windows 3.0 because the analog clock run much faster.

Member Avatar for EddieC
EddieC 0 Posting Whiz in Training

Opening Windows would enable you, me, anyone an everyone to enhance, extend and improve the operating system used by 90 percent of the world, or maybe to replace the kernel with something better, more stable (a la Darwin).

Linux etc. has surely made strides, but it's not quite there yet, IMHO. Mac OS X on the other hand...

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

Edit Preview