“IN A FLURRY of activity, Microsoft has announced a new version
of Windows 98, a “thin server” co-developed with Intel, and a new
enthusiasm for the open source software movement.”
“Although a softening of Microsoft’s attitude to the open source
movement has been widely anticipated, the official confirmation in
Los Angeles last week still came as a shock.”
“Microsoft executive Brian Valentine, told a technical
conference that Microsoft was considering making its computer
source code more freely available.”
“Microsoft had studied the issue over the past six months and
was “seriously considering looking at doing open source”, a policy
of making code available to promote faster and better development
by programmers, Valentine said. “I don’t have a problem with
putting the Windows code out there,” he added.”