Bye-Bye Ballmer, Hello Open Source? Microsoft's Upcoming Options

Despite early 'cancer' slur, Steve Ballmer has been investing in open source. Could his departure open doors at Microsoft?

There's been plenty of speculation this week about the consequences of the announced retirement of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. But I've seen little that considers the consequences of the management change for Microsoft's engagement with open source software. I think there might be significant repercussions.

In my talk at OSCON this year, I explained how the corporate journey to software freedom was a multistep process rather than a decision. The seven steps of that journey are the following: