Microsoft was once known as a company that not only didn"t embrace open source efforts for software but was flat out hostile against such efforts in favor of developing software such as the Windows OS. However, that stance has softened considerably in the last few years. We"ve already reported that Microsoft is supporting the OpenStreetMap project and earlier this month the company was listed for the first time as a contributor to the development of the Linux kernel.
Today, Microsoft announced it is taking its open source efforts one big step further. The interoperablity @ Microsoft blog announced that the company is launching a new subsidiary company, Microsoft Open Technologies Inc. In the blog post, the newly named President of the company,
The subsidiary provides a new way of engaging in a more clearly defined manner. This new structure will help facilitate the interaction between Microsoft’s proprietary development processes and the company’s open innovation efforts and relationships with open source and open standards communities. This structure will make it easier and faster to iterate and release open source software, participate in existing open source efforts, and accept contributions from the community. Over time the community will see greater interaction with the open standards and open source worlds.
The group is already working with other businesses to help develop open source standards such as HTML5, HTTP 2.0 and more.