For Approval: Microsoft Community License

[Chuck Swiger]

Hi--

On Aug 10, 2007, at 9:16 AM, Jon Rosenberg (PBM) wrote:
> Microsoft is pleased to submit the Microsoft Community License to  
> the OSI for consideration as an OSI approved license.  Microsoft  
> believes that this license provides unique value to the open source  
> community by delivering simplicity, brevity, and clearly delineated  
> reciprocal terms.

Except for the addition of clause 3(a) containing a "weak" copyleft  
provision, this MSCL seems to be word-for-word identical with the  
MSPL.  The effect of 3(a) requires that changes to code under the  
MSCL must be made available in source code form whenever that code is  
redistributed as a binary, but does not require that other sources be  
released or that it be convenient (or possible) for a user to replace  
the source code in an existing binary with a changed version.

Thus, I think that the LGPL would be a better choice as far as end- 
users are concerned, but, to the extent that an author might want to  
make their software freely available but at least be able to see what  
changes, improvements, or bugfixes someone has made if they use it in  
their own binaries, this license provides that effect without  
imposing obligations on completely separate source code which might  
be used in combination with the MSCL-licensed software.

As with the MSPL, the MSCL seems to be fully compliant with the OSD.

+1.

-- 
-Chuck