Microsoft’s Open Source Initiative

Microsoft is out to convince the open source fans that they are already in through their open source site. I thought Microsoft would do that by promoting open source software on their platform. I am not a big follower of Microsoft, but I dig some great open source software on it. However, I do not find it there, what I find is corporations Microsoft has partnered with and how someone can grow with Microsoft. It is more of a promotion of Microsoft in the open source space, not the other way around.

Michael Peitroforte too finds the site funny. I think CodePlex (earlier gotdotnet) stands a better chance of representing the open source Microsoft.

I have earlier listed software on Microsoft Windows that I like. I take this opportunity to list the open source ones here, and in part also respond to Russell Shaw’s call (commenting there requires registration, this is easier). And this time I will stick to applications for the end user and exclude development tools.

• Paint.NET – Photo editing software
• Audacity – Recording and editing sounds
• FileZilla – FTP client and server
• KeyNote – Quick notes
• Inkscape – Vector graphics tool
• Blender – 3D modeling tool
• Pidgin (Gaim) – Multiprotocol IM client
• Firefox, K-Meleon – Browsers
• 7-Zip – High compression ratio archiving tool, works with multiple formats including RAR
• Ultra VNC – Remote desktop tool
• VLC, Miro (earlier Democracy) – Media players
• Media Coder – DVD Ripper and audio/video transcoder
• OpenOffice – Desktop office suite
• Thunderbird – Powerful desktop email client
• Freemind – Mind mapping tool

There are some other good sites which list open source software for Windows, like Open Source on Windows and Open Source software CD.

There has been the shared source initiative, but it feels as if Microsoft is still not talking to the open source individuals. It is addressing the partners and corporations, not to encourage open source, but to fight the other corporations in open source. I think the open source world can thrive in the Microsoft world, especially because of .NET and Mono. But Microsoft has to acknowledge and encourage participation. Which I do not think seems to be motive of Microsoft’s open source site.