For Approval: Microsoft Community License

[Matthew Flaschen]

Shahnawaz Khan wrote:
> Hi Jon,
> 
> Would Microsft now discontinue the 'Shared Source' licenses structures? or
> would they fold into these new MS-PL/MS-CL?

These /are/ part of Microsoft's "Shared Source" program, and aren't
really new.  They have been listed at
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/licensingbasics/sharedsourcelicenses.mspx
for a while (apparently at least since October 18, 2005).  My guess is
Microsoft will not stop using the other Shared Source licenses (e.g.
Microsoft Reference License and Microsoft Limited Community Licenses),
because though those licenses are certainly /not/ Open Source Microsoft
still intends to use them in some contexts.  Essentially, by submitting
these two licenses, they are asking OSI to agree that a *subset* of the
ongoing Microsoft Shared Source program is also Open Source.

Matt Flaschen