Open Source Licensing: Software Freedom and Intellectual Property Law

Shared Source

In response to the demands of its customers for access to source code, Microsoft created its shared source licensing program. This program allows Microsoft customers to read and examine certain of the company's source code.

The Microsoft Shared Source License is a dramatic leap forward for the world's largest proprietary software vendor, a company that has traditionally kept its source code secret for competitive reasons. At long last, Microsoft's customers may examine some of that company's source code and learn from it. Of course, from the perspective of open source licensing, the shared source concept is a weak alternative that doesn't go nearly far enough to provide software freedom.

The Microsoft Shared Source License has limited ...