14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced that its MS Open Tech subsidiary focused on open-source technology would be dissolved and integrated back into the main company, as its mission of making open source mainstream across the software giant has been completed.
Jean Paoli, president of MS Open Tech, revealed the news in a blog post on the official MS Open Tech page, adding that engineers working for the Redmond-based company are now involved in approximately 2,000 open source projects on GitHub and CodePlex.
Three years ago when MS Open Tech was founded, open source was a barely explored world for Microsoft, but the division helped the company advance fast and connect it with open source communities across the world.
“We finally got closer to open source communities”
“MS Open Tech’s projects have made it easier for Linux, Java, and other developers to use Azure, through SDKs, tools plug-ins, and integration with technologies such as Chef, Puppet, and Docker. We’ve helped bring Microsoft’s services and APIs to iOS and Android,” Paoli explained.
“We’ve contributed to open source projects such as Apache Cordova, Cocos2d-x, OpenJDK, and dash.js. We’ve brought Office 365 to the Moodle learning platform. And we’ve helped connect the Open Web by collaborating with the industry on standards for HTML5, HTTP/2, and WebRTC/ORTC.”
Since MS Open Tech will no longer be a standalone subsidiary, it would provide tools and services to Microsoft engineers directly, thus allowing for a streamlined process of continuous investment and focus on open source projects.
Interestingly, today’s news comes amid rumors that Microsoft is pondering the possibility of making Windows open source sometime in the future, a decision that could serve as living proof for “the culture of open development that’s shaping the technology built at Microsoft,” as Paoli said in his post.
Obviously, there’s still no sign that Windows could go open source anytime soon, but with Microsoft’s increased focus on this side of the industry, it’s pretty clear that Redmond is now looking into ways to adapt its business model to the always changing IT world.