Microsoft Tackles Open-Source Compliance by Joining Linux OpenChain

Microsoft has continued to boost its reputation for open-source participation by signing up to the OpenChain Project, aimed at simplifying the number of licenses present in the open-source community. OpenChain is the Linux Foundation’s claim to being the industry standard for managing open-source compliance across the software toolchain. The group maintains a core set of requirements around licensing, and organisations can display their adherence. The theory goes that compliance with open-source licenses becomes a tad more understandable for all those taking part. In enterprise-level organisations, the software toolchain can potentially have thousands of components, creating more work and risk around understanding the implications of various licenses. Microsoft wants to untangle the web of open-source licenses by joining OpenChain as a platinum member. It joins other partner organisations, including Google, Uber and Facebook, which joined last month. It is another indicator that Microsoft is determined to improve its open-source reputation, having already added its backing to the Open Invention Network (OIN) and unleashed great swathes of code upon the community.