“When Microsoft President Steve Ballmer uttered the words ‘open
source’ – without sneering – last week, software developers around
the world took heart.”
“The day after Ballmer’s speech, Microsoft program managers and
vice presidents began to backpedal, saying that Microsoft source
code will not be released any time soon. But Ballmer’s musings
provided one of the strongest indications yet that the open-source
movement, for all its anarchic struggles and internal
contradictions, could shape the future of software
development.”
“Open-source projects like the Linux operating system are
different from proprietary software in that the source code to the
software is free for anyone to copy, tinker with and improve upon,
as long as the improvements are made available to the rest of the
development community.”
“Companies like Microsoft, on the other hand, keep their source
code a closely kept secret, giving developers pre-set building
blocks on which to base their programs.”