MS blocks open source

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Marketplace blocks open source software from being distributed, according to Red Hat employee Jan Wildeboer on Afterdawn.

Wildeboer says: "One thing is extremely obvious. Microsoft wants to keep its platform clear of Free Software. Period."

Article 5 of the Application Requirements section in the Marketplace Application Provider Agreement specifically states: “The Application must not include software, documentation, or other materials that, in whole or in part, are governed by or subject to an Excluded Licence, or that would otherwise cause the Application to be subject to the terms of an Excluded Licence.”

According to ZDNet, Wildeboer says: “This is rather uncool, IMHO, I stumbled upon this forum entry and was quite astonished. It points to the Microsoft Application Provider Agreement that governs the Windows Marketplace, the App Store where users can get apps and developers publish them.”

However, developers can use code approved by the Microsoft Public License, an open source licence created by Redmond. Networked World says Microsoft has pushed developers to use so-called "Windows Phone recipes," which are open source projects that became available last month under the Microsoft Public Licence.

Microsoft defines GPLv3 licences as including "GNU General Public Licence version 3, the GNU Affero General Public Licence version 3, the GNU Lesser General Public Licence version 3, and any equivalents to the foregoing," and also appears to ban further open source licences, including any one that allows software to be redistributed for free.

Excluded licenses include anything "disclosed or distributed in source code form; licensed for the purpose of making derivative works; or redistributable at no charge," Microsoft says.