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Microsoft recently made public the details of a source licensing strategy --called shared source-- which includes a number of programs and initiatives that open up Microsoft source code to commercial partners. Shared source is part of a larger framework called the Commercial Software Model. According to Microsoft, the Commercial Software Model seeks to maximize the investment of organizations in their source code and work out a business model that is profitable and sustainable and encourages innovation. This policy was first articulated by MS Sr VP Craig Mundie at a talk hosted by NYU's Center for Advanced Technology. Many commentators have seen this as an effort by Microsoft to take a stand and articulate a strategy in the face of the free software and open source movements. A few weeks after Craig Mundie's presentation, Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, traveled to NYU and delivered a rebuttal.

This section regroups primary audio material from Microsoft and the Free Software Foundation about this debate. This includes the Craig Mundie and Richard Stallman presentations [Part 1, Part 2] (audio and transcripts). We've also thrown in an an exclusive codebytes interview with open source advocate Bruce Perens.

This material (with the exception of the interview) is not new , but technetcast has become the primary destination for users seeking streaming media information about software technology, and we thought it would make sense to add these streams to our archives as a service to our listeners and viewers. The Craig Mundie presentation is available in MP3 for the first time. In keeping with the FSF's position about proprietary codecs, the RMS presentation is made available in Ogg Vorbis format.

Thanks to the Free Software Foundation and Microsoft for granting the permissions necessary to make this possible. Thanks also to NYU's Center for Advanced Technology for organizing the original events and cooperating to bring these programs to tnc.

For more information about this debate, visit Microsoft's Shared Source site and the Free Software Foundation. Also check out the technetcast open source listings and, in particular, a special edition of codebytes on open source.

The Commercial Software Model 2001-06-12 (01:05:00) By Craig Mundie, Microsoft Senior Vice President. Presentation delivered at The NYU Stern School of Business, May 3, 2001. [569] AUDIO

Free Software: Freedom and Cooperation [1] 2001-06-11 (30:00) By Richard M. Stallman. Presentation delivered at New York University in New York, New York on 29 May 2001. Event produced by the NYU Center for Advanced Technology. [Part 1, Part 2]. [566] VIDEO

Free Software: Freedom and Cooperation[2] 2001-06-11 (35:00) By Richard M. Stallman. Presentation delivered at New York University in New York, New York on 29 May 2001. Event produced by the NYU Center for Advanced Technology. [ Part 1, Part 2]. [567] VIDEO

codebytes: Bruce Perens on Shared Source 2001-06-11 (20:00) Open source advocate Bruce Perens speaks out on Microsoft's shared source strategy. [570] AUDIO