Re: Microsoft Research: Announcing grants for shared source CLI and C# implementations

[David Golden <address@hidden>]

Beware that if you even LOOK at "shared source" (MS)
or "community source" (same thing, but Sun) code,
then you can leave yourself (if you engage in development work),
and possibly any Open Source/Free Software 
project you work on, open to legal attack from MS/Sun.

MS and Sun are _hoping_ lots and lots of people confuse
shared/community source code with OSI-definition
Open Source code.

The "shared source" availability of .NET  (or Java) means,
for example, that to even work on clean-room implementations
of .NET (or Java), you'll need to _prove_ you haven't
seen the code (not a criminal suit, so burden of proof not
squarely on MS/Sun shoulders) - and even the _threat_
of a lawsuit may be enough to shut you down in some
jurisdictions.

i.e. "shared" or "community" source is WORSE than 
no source at all from the Free Software/ Open Source community
perspective.  It's taken MS about 5 years to figure this out...

On the whole, if you ever entertain the idea of working on 
Free Software projects - stay AWAY from MS/Sun code
that's under strange "nearly-open" licenses.
 
MS are hoping to weasel their way into naive CompScis undergrad 
brains, who may not be aware that by even looking at the code their
professor helpfully plonks in front of them, they could disqualify
themselves from ever working on certain open source projects...
There's already several years worth of CompScis with their brains
tainted with pseudo-open Java source code.


-- 
Don't eat yellow snow.