Must Read: Sorry, but bringing back the Start menu won't help Windows 8

Topic: Browser

Microsoft releases source code under an Apache license

Summary: Microsoft has released the source code for the Web Sandbox runtime created by its Live Labs team under the Apache 2.0 license. Microsoft released a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build of the Sandbox -- a way to secure Web content via virtualization -- in October 2008.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

Microsoft has released the source code for the Web Sandbox runtime created by its Live Labs team under the Apache 2.0 license.

Microsoft released a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build of the Sandbox -- a way to secure Web content via virtualization -- in October 2008.

On January 26, Microsoft announced it would release the Web Sandbox source code under the Apache 2.0 license. From Open Source Community Manager Peter Galli's post to the Microsoft Port 25 blog:

"Since the initial release of Web Sandbox at PDC 2008, the team has received a lot of useful feedback from the web security community, and has also been collaborating with a number of customers, partners and the standards communities, all of whom want to adopt the  technology when it is ready.

"The goal? An open and interoperable standard that will help foster interoperability with complementary technologies like script frameworks and drive widespread adoption of the Web Sandbox."

Microsoft has released various pieces of code under bona-fide Open Source Initiative (OSI)-sanctioned open-source licenses over the past few years. When opting to release code under an OSI-approved license, Microsoft has relied most heavily on two of its Shared Source licenses -- the Microsoft Public License and the Microsoft Reciprocal License -- as its vehicles.

Microsoft has been stepping up its work with the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), but the Web Sandbox is not an ASF-endorsed project. Microsoft joined the apache Foundation last year and donated code to Apache's Stonehenge project at the start of this year.

Topics: Browser, Microsoft, Open Source

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Contact Disclosure

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

23 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion

  • Anti MS zealots bashing this in 3... 2... 1...

    I win $20 if anyone mentions embrace, extend, extinguish. :)
    NonZealot
    Reply Vote

    • Embrace, extend, extinguish

      So you own me $10? LOL

      Somehow, people will find a way to turn this
      into an Vista suck! or MS vs Apple or MS vs
      Open source thread.


      Mam00th
      Reply Vote

    • Let Microsoft die.

      They need to, in the same way that the Bush administration had to go.
      fr0thy2
      Reply Vote

      • I didn't know...

        I didn't know that there were term limits on organizations?

        Care to enlighten the rest of us?
        mikefarinha
        Reply Vote

    • No need to bash...

      Its just another piece of junk like the rest of the stuff on codeplex that nobody will use. Move along...nothing else to see here.
      storm14k
      Reply Vote

    • I actually like the idea

      M$ using a bona-fide public license - instead of creating their own. There are just too many licenses out there - you shouldn't have to make your own. So thank you M$ for ... well, not being M$!
      Roger Ramjet
      Reply Vote

      • So do I. But I just don't expect them to play ball forever.

        Ultimately, they want 'control', so I expect them to poison the code at some point.

        The whole getting-into-bed-with-opensource shenanigans, is just a bluff.

        EMBRACE. POISON. RETREAT.

        Custard_over_2x_Pie
        Reply Vote

    • Encompass, eviscerate, excrete.

      Go back to bed.
      kozmcrae
      Reply Vote

  • Pay us to use technology, we need to feed the greedy.

    Anyone who buys a single word of anything from Microsoft is ultimately just a dumb consumer.

    Anyone purporting to be a technologist, yet Microsoft products based, is just a dumb consumer with the bare minimum of skills to bullsiht an even dumber consumer into getting tied into this nonsense.

    Let Microsoft die.

    Let any other US Tech Corp thrive.

    At least progress will accelerate ....
    fr0thy2
    Reply Vote

    • Yes.. Let the other tech companies...

      that produces inferior, I cannot give away a free toilet paper software products run free.. Run.. Run.. Run... Wait.. Wipe.. Wipe.. Wipe...lol
      lenohere
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Pay us to use technology, we need to feed the greedy.

      Thank you for that non partisan, very even handed comment.
      Joe Dufflebag
      Reply Vote

    • Get over it....

      You sound like a blithering idiot with nothing more to say than "die" "die MS die". You posts remind me of watching episodes of Beavis and Butthead when I was younger.
      OhTheHumanity
      Reply Vote

      • Spoken like...

        an MS consumer. Really folks - Microsoft rarely, if ever has best-of-breed. When are you going to say enough? Mediocrity is not excellence. Strive for excellence.
        SpikeyMike
        Reply Vote

        • Cast not thine pearls before the swine

          Let them dine sumptuously on their slop. Their keeper has a purpose for their fat...... and it is NOT to display at the county fair.
          Ole Man
          Reply Vote

        • Ok....

          I was stating that he has nothing intelligent to say. Did not defend any product or service, so go on with your best of breed crap and we will keep making the profits that drive this company. Best of breed, is that a fact or is that just an opinion based test? I give two you know whats on what product you use, I just really hate having to call out these worthless posts that say stupid things like "die MS die". That reminds me of elementary school, or do you like that kind of cheap talk that only comes out when you have nothing else to say?
          OhTheHumanity
          Reply Vote

          • Die MS

            They are such an ethical company we should all emulate them.
            There is no anti-trust issues with MS in any part of the world, like
            in the US, EU, China, India etc. Recognize sarcasm???

            If you poison everything you touch you eventually poison yourself,
            and that is what MS is doing they are killing themselves. What
            price is their stock at now? Is it down to a nickel yet?

            Why am I no longer an MS customer? Because they treated me
            like a thief when I wasn't, and had problems with their activation
            system. Won't take that crap any more.
            bigpicture
            Reply Vote

    • omg

      you are so smart!
      Azathothh
      Reply Vote

  • Silverlight should also go out under an open source license, too...

    But Moonlight is being helped by MS and that is a good thing.
    progon
    Reply Vote

    • Not really needed.

      Just make a native Linux plugin and call it a day.
      storm14k
      Reply Vote

  • MS Source code

    I can see why the FOSS lusers would be upset about this, they get to see what MS is capable of and the quality of their code.

    Kinda embarrasing for them, but it helps the FOSS boys as well, just think how quicky they will be able to copy MS's innovation with the source code available !!!

    and FOSS are so much closer to dieing then MS is, FOSS is the group with the sub 1% market share, who are 5 to 8 years behind MS. After all it takes them that long to copy what MS does.
    Aussie_Troll
    Reply Vote
CNET Join | Log In | Privacy | Cookies Close