With The .Net Foundation, Microsoft Finally Bets Big On Open Source

For years, Microsoft has flirted with the open-source movement, trying to build bridges with developers that favor publicly released code over proprietary software. This week, the software giant finally made the big moves skeptics of its commitment to open source have been looking for. At a keynote presentation at the Build developers conference in San Francisco Thursday, Microsoft executive Scott Guthrie announced the creation of the .Net Foundation, an organization that will take over stewardship of the important software framework.

Microsoft created .Net years ago for two reasons: to help developers write software for multiple versions of Windows, and to answer the rise of the Java programming language. But its Windows-centric framework hobbled its adoption. The move is notable because former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once called open source a “cancer.” Ballmer is no longer CEO, and his successor, Satya Nadella, is committed to changing Microsoft's image in a number of ways—particularly by repairing relationships with developers...