SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

Microsoft Releases Source Code on SourceForge

On Monday, Microsoft released some of its code under an open-source license, and posted it on SourceForge, the open-source code repository. To date, Microsoft has made its source code available under a variety of licensing mechanisms, all under its “shared source” umbrella. But until today, the company had not released code under what is commonly […]

Apr 5, 2004
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

On Monday, Microsoft released some of its code under an open-source license, and posted it on SourceForge, the open-source code repository.

To date, Microsoft has made its source code available under a variety of licensing mechanisms, all under its “shared source” umbrella. But until today, the company had not released code under what is commonly considered a true open-source license.

Microsoft made available an internally-developed product called the “Windows Installer XML” (WiX) to SourceForge. The code is downloadable here.

WiX is a toolset for building Windows installation packages from XML source code. It runs on Windows NT and Windows 2000.

“We’ve been learning from open source about the importance of sharing code with developers,” said Jason Matusow, manager of Microsoft’s shared source initiative. “We know it’s important to have a full-spectrum approach” to licensing software under shared source, he added.

“Each product team across Microsoft needs to do what makes sense,” said Matusow. Some are holding source code close to the vest. Others are issuing it under modified BSD licenses. In other cases, teams are releasing it under customized licenses, as with Windows CE Premium, he explained.

A number of Microsoft teams from across the company — including the Yukon database, Office 12, Exchange “Kodiak,” Update Services and Xbox divisions — have employed WiX in building their products, Matusow noted.

Click here for the full story.

Recommended for you...

Report: Security Teams are Drowning in Alerts, Turning to AI
Jordan Smith
Sep 12, 2025
Mitel Appoints Mike Robinson as CEO
Jordan Smith
Sep 11, 2025
Cynomi Adds Third-Party Risk Management Module to vCISO Platform
Luis Millares
Sep 10, 2025
WatchGuard & Girona FC Partner on Security Needs
Victoria Durgin
Sep 10, 2025
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.