The Force of Open Source

Naturally Red Hat took interest in the announcement last week of a “wholly owned subsidiary known as Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc., to advance the company’s investment in openness – including interoperability, open standards and open source.” http://blogs.msdn.com/b/interoperability/ Our reaction?

1. Customers and developers are potentially the winners in what could (should!) be a more open world.
Open source and open standards give customers and developers freedom. Interoperability makes more possible. Our hope is that this formal announcement signals the commitment of Microsoft to engage with open source communities in a way that will ultimately provide choice in the marketplace. An open world is a better world.

2. A rising tide lifts all ships.
The power of open source is undeniable. As we look toward the 10th anniversary of Red Hat Enterprise Linux in the market, we are able to reflect on how we got here. It was not without opposition. But we now see the world's leading technology providers investing in open source as a strategic way to innovate. Some of the new entrants are surprising, but open source collaboration works when many are participating in earnest.

3. We are here to help.
Making a dramatic commitment to open source and open standards is not trivial. It’s not an occasional announcement or participation in a consortium. Making a true commitment to being open becomes part of a culture and is a radical shift. For years Red Hat has helped partners and customers navigate what it means to be open and how to make a full commitment. We truly believe that open source and open standards are foundational elements in how technologies, such as cloud computing, will be developed and deployed. We believe in open source and extend a hand as an old hand in this movement to support those with similar dedication.