Microsoft
this week announced it was opening up the source code to the next version of
its .NET Framework, a set of developer libraries used by so-called managed code
applications written in languages like C# and Visual Basic. The .NET Framework
3.5 will be licensed under the Microsoft Reference License, which gives
developers the right to view but not modify the source code. Microsoft says this
will give developers a better understanding of how the system works.
Scott Guthrie, a general manager in Microsoft's Developer division, notes that
the source code for the .NET Framework 3.5 will be made available over time,
beginning with core components as the .NET Base Class Libraries, ASP .NET,
Windows Forms, ADO .NET, XML, and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Then,
he adds, the company will release the code to more libraries, including those
for Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow, and LINQ (Language
Integrated Query), the latter of which is new to upcoming products like Visual
Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008.