The new company name is Microsoft Open Technologies and Jean Paoli, Microsoft executives will be the president of the new company. The company will also form interoperability strategy team in the future. The newly established company will have about 50-75 employees.
Over the years, Microsoft has been considered to be the rival of the open source community, Microsoft's newly formed subsidiary is a surprise to the open source community. It also seems to prove that Microsoft is actively seeking to change its open source attitude .That's quite a change from some 10 years ago when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talked the Chicago Sun-Times: "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."
Since some unpleasant controversy with the open source community, Microsoft in recent years has been widely and actively participating in open-source projects, along with Microsoft's continued efforts and its contribution to the Linux kernel has become increasingly acute.
In an interview, Jean Paoli said Microsoft's existing products sector will continue to participate in the open-source projects and standards development, because the open-source projects become increasingly more important in today.
At the same time, Jean Paoli said the company wouldl be flexible, agile, quick contact with other open source projects to enhance their contact with the majority of the company's. Jean Paoli said they believe the company is able to provide new ideas and a clear attitude to the future of open source community building, and he also added that they would try to bridge Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies.
It is reported that Microsoft Open Technologies will be wholly-owned by Microsoft, the company's board of directors, company executives are also appointed and directed by Microsoft. When asked whether the company will be established near Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Texas, United States, Jean paoli said these details had yet to discuss and finalize.
Hope that Microsoft can contribute more to open source community so that new IT technologies can be shared by people easier. This will also help Microsoft as well.
Reference
[1] http://news.csdn.net/a/20120413/2804500.html
[2]/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoftpri0/2017969207_microsoft_creates_new_subsidiary_focused_on_open-s.html
