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Microsoft releases source code under an Apache license

By | January 27, 2009, 6:03pm PST

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.

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Topics

Web, Apache Software Foundation, Microsoft Corp., Channel Management, Open Source, Marketing, Mary Jo Foley

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).

Disclosure

Mary-Jo Foley

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 25 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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RE: Microsoft releases source code under an Apache license
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 10th Oct
Several many chestnut ugg thanks a great deal for sharing this excellent topic materials! Trying to find ahead to seeintg a lot more!
View in thread
0 Votes
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Anti MS zealots bashing this in 3... 2... 1...
NonZealot 27th Jan 2009
I win $20 if anyone mentions embrace, extend, extinguish. happy
0 Votes
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Embrace, extend, extinguish
Mam00th 27th Jan 2009
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.


0 Votes
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Let Microsoft die.
fr0thy2 27th Jan 2009
They need to, in the same way that the Bush administration had to go.
0 Votes
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I didn't know...
mikefarinha 28th Jan 2009
I didn't know that there were term limits on organizations?

Care to enlighten the rest of us?
0 Votes
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No need to bash...
storm14k 28th Jan 2009
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.
0 Votes
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I actually like the idea
Roger Ramjet 28th Jan 2009
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$!
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So do I. But I just don't expect them to play ball forever.
Custard_over_2x_Pie Updated - 28th Jan 2009
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.

0 Votes
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Encompass, eviscerate, excrete.
kozmcrae 28th Jan 2009
Go back to bed.
0 Votes
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Pay us to use technology, we need to feed the greedy.
fr0thy2 27th Jan 2009
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 ....
0 Votes
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Yes.. Let the other tech companies...
lenohere 28th Jan 2009
that produces inferior, I cannot give away a free toilet paper software products run free.. Run.. Run.. Run... Wait.. Wipe.. Wipe.. Wipe...lol
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RE: Pay us to use technology, we need to feed the greedy.
Joe Dufflebag 28th Jan 2009
Thank you for that non partisan, very even handed comment.
0 Votes
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Get over it....
OhTheHumanity 28th Jan 2009
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.
0 Votes
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Spoken like...
SpikeyMike 28th Jan 2009
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.
0 Votes
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Cast not thine pearls before the swine
Ole Man 28th Jan 2009
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.
0 Votes
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Ok....
OhTheHumanity 29th Jan 2009
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?
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Die MS
bigpicture 29th Jan 2009
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.
0 Votes
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omg
Azathothh 28th Jan 2009
you are so smart!
0 Votes
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Silverlight should also go out under an open source license, too...
progon 28th Jan 2009
But Moonlight is being helped by MS and that is a good thing.
0 Votes
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Not really needed.
storm14k 28th Jan 2009
Just make a native Linux plugin and call it a day.
0 Votes
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MS Source code
Aussie_Troll 28th Jan 2009
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.
0 Votes
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RE: Microsoft releases source code under an Apache license
Jackie150 17th Sep 2009
That Microsoft is so poorly written, that there will be loads of sexy lingeriecopied VISTA DVD?s that not only get around the WGA issue but have cracks for all versions of VISTA. Of course, those hacks will no ...
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Microsoft releases source code under an Apache license
lingerie wholesale 13th Oct 2009
That Microsoft is so poorly written, that there will be loads of http://www.dear-lover.com copied VISTA DVD?s that not only get around the WGA issue but have cracks for all versions of VISTA. Of course, those hacks will no .
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Microsoft releases source code under an Apache license
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 10th Oct
Several many chestnut ugg thanks a great deal for sharing this excellent topic materials! Trying to find ahead to seeintg a lot more!

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