GitHub Bought By Microsoft

In case you haven't heard the latest tech news, looks like GitHub, the favorite destination for open source devs to post their code, is being acquired by Microsoft. Nobody really saw that one coming. But if you consider some of the previous moves made by the company in the past, namely, integrating Linux code directly into Windows, open sourcing some of its own code, and making directing contribution to other open source projects, to name just a few.

Hedging Its Bets With Open Source

So why does Microsoft now seem so keen on embracing open source projects? As some may recall, there was a time when the company as a a blight within software industry. Former CEO, Steve Ballmer, once characterized Linux and similar software as a cancer that threatens intellectual property as reflected in a notorious Halloween memo to company employees. Put simply, Microsoft viewed open source as a prime enemy.

Fast forward to today. The company seems to have done a 180° turn around in it's approach to open source software. Being able to tap into a vast pool of talented software developers and advancing it's own open source initiatives would seem to the the primary impetus behind the company's more recent moves. Current Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, has stated, "We love developers, and we love open source developers". My take on this is that Microsoft has come to realize that many open source projects have produced software that can rival many of proprietary counterparts and that significant money can be made in selling servies, training and consulting rather than just selling software licenses. Furthermore, many top open source developers are driven more by a sense of community, freedom in expressing their ideas and excellence in the marketplace rather than in chasing profits. And, with the wide spread use of open source within industry, education, and everyday consumers, Microsoft appears to commited a strategy will allow it to remain not only relevant but give it somewhat of a controlling hand in the ecosystem as well.

In a bid to assuage the concerns of GitHub members and the open source community at large Nadella offered the following comments:

When it comes to our commitment to open source, judge us by the actions we have taken in the recent past, our actions today and in the future

Most importantly, we recognize the responsibility we take on with this agreement,"

"We are committed to being stewards of the GitHub community – which will retain its developer-first ethos, operate independently and remain an open platform.

All well and good those statements, but considering Microsoft's controversial (monopolistic) past and the lingering distrust of the company by developers and users of free and open source software (FOSS), can it win the hearts and minds of the GitHub community and retain and attract the best talent?

Within recent years, Microsoft has worked hard to reform it's image from that of an evil empire to that of friendly innovator and upstanding software developer. Whether it can convince the GitHub community of its genuine sincerity remains to be seen but I would suspect it's going to find its pitch rather tough to sell.

To get more of a perspective on this latest move from Microsoft check out these related articles: article 1, article 2, and article 3.