What Does Microsoft Have to Do to Earn FOSSers' Respect?

Microsoft may not have fully endeared itself into the FOSS rank and file with its recent attempt to hold hands with the open source community. Feelings are not unanimous regarding the commercial software giant's decision in April to front a company-owned subsidiary called "Microsoft Open Technologies."

The subsidiary's stated purpose is to advance Microsoft's investment in open source software. That includes code interoperability and open standards. Remember that line about being wary of Greeks bearing gifts? That lesson from Vergil's Aeneid could very well sum up the reaction from certain parts of the FOSS community...

..."The simple truth is that Linux has reached such a state of ubiquity [and] Microsoft is having to adapt to the collaborative development model that has become so pervasive in the software industry. The company that once called Linux a cancer today is using the OS to support its virtualization efforts and its customers," Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer services for The Linux Foundation, told LinuxInsider...