This item from the Financial Times maintains that Microsoft’s
“shared source” notions represent a “softening of Microsoft’s
stance against ‘open source software’ or software that is available
to anyone, free.” There’s an interesting emphasis on a swipe at Sun
and a more charitable interpretation of Microsoft’s intent.
“Microsoft competitors, including Sun Microsystems, payed lip
service to the open source movement and painted Microsoft as the
“enemy”, Mr Mundie said. “But these companies do not walk the talk.
They do not put their products in the public domain.” Many of the
perceived benefits of open source software – such as the emergence
of communities of developers who together hone new software – were
not unique to the free software movement, Mr Mundie said.”