LinuxPlanet: Sforce–Linux, Microsoft Developers Can Repurpose Apps, But Not Through Open Source

“In an announcement unusual in lots of ways, Salesforce.com is
teaming with Microsoft, Sun, Borland, and BEA on a new Web
development environment dubbed Sforce. Developers working in Linux,
Unix, and Windows environments will all be able to repurpose
Sforce’s Web applications, although not through open source.
Meanwhile, however, Saleforce itself is in the process of moving
from a mainly Linux production environment to ‘100 percent Linux,’
said Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff.

“During a launch event this week in New York City, Benioff
hailed the Sforce notion as a ‘radically new concept.’ Sforce “is
not a pancea yet, but it’s as close as we’ve ever come in this
industry,” according to Benioff.

“Under the Sforce approach, ISVs are writing Web tools and
utilities that can be repurposed by other developers, who may not
know how to write advanced code. Salesforce will expose the Sforce
API, but application source code won’t be shared, according to
Benioff. Instead, developers will connect outside apps to Sforce by
pointing and clicking within toolsets like Microsoft Visual Basic,
Sun ONE Studio Borland JBuilder, and BEA WebLogic Workshop. XML and
SOAP calls will be automatically placed to the Sforce
environment…”

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