JamieG Analysis

Recently Microsoft announced that they are making available API information (Docs that describe how their products work. Note: no source code). This is a huge plus for everyone using Microsoft technology. I see great things coming from this. Still, I have never seen Microsoft do anything without reason.

The documents being released where, until recently, treated like the crown jewels of the Microsoft kingdom. This is a dramatic turn around. As such, this does indicate there has been a huge shift in Internet and IT culture.

After considering this for the last few days, l me give my opinion of what is happening here.

It is all about the developer community.

The developer community is the foundation of Microsoft’s dominance on the corporate market. Corporations purchase windows-servers and business solutions as the developers build their tools on them. As such, Microsoft has to keep the developers VERY happy, as if they move onto open source tools, which they are doing in droves, the unfriendly to open source software that Microsoft makes, will lock them out of new businesses. Corporations will be inclined to go completely open source. And once they do that. Microsoft is not likely to ever get back in the server room.

This is also evident as Microsoft has also made all there tools FREE for educational use.

I am extremely pleased about this as its great news for everyone. It shows that the open source tools are refined and comparable to commercial development tools. (Eclipse is fantastic). Linux and other application server technologies have just as much respect as Microsoft. And now, we can use these tools and soon be able to integrate into legacy and future Microsoft technologies.

Microsoft does not OWN the playground any more. If they want equal time on the playground, they are going to have to share.