Microsoft opens software source code

The seventh seal opens...

Microsoft has opened up the source code for Windows CE, just prior to a meeting with the Department of Justice (DoJ). Developers can download the kernel for the latest version of Windows CE 3.0 for free but must not profit from changes they make to the code. Microsoft is meeting judges and lawyers this week to try and find a resolution to its long-running court case. Representatives from the software giant and the DoJ plus 18 US states are expected to meet this week for the first time since the case reached the appeals court. Industry pundits claim Microsoft is hoping to put off any further court appearances until it ships Windows XP. The company has offered various concessions over recent weeks in the hope that its bundling technology will not come under close scrutiny from the government's justice department. However, the DoJ wants to take a closer look at Windows XP, claiming Microsoft is breaking an earlier Appellate Court ruling by bundling software. Under these circumstances, industry observers claim a settlement is unlikely to happen any time soon. Windows CE 3.0 has also benefited from the company's renewed feelings of openness. The embedded operating system is also likely to take on another lease of life as Microsoft make it available to the developer environment under the guise of the Shared Source License. Developers will be able to build applications based around the source code but they won't be able to make it commercially available. However, concerns have been raised by developers over fears of copyright infringement.