Microsoft Business Solutions Seeks To Capture Shared-Source Momentum

Executives in the Microsoft business applications unit said Monday they hope to bolster MBS’ online partner community with additional resources and discussions plus build Wiki-like tools to promote the creation of a collaborative knowledge base.

"We're exploring Wiki technology that would let us start broader-scale discussions. Maybe you could create white papers on migrations to CRM, but they'll be updatable by the community," said David Dennis, group product manager for Dynamics SL (aka Solomon).

The current FlexWiki open-source technology is interesting but hard to administer. Microsoft is working on WYSIWYG editor for SharePoint 2007 that would make Wikis easier to create and maintain, Dennis said.

If Microsoft’s vision of business/Web application "mash ups" comes to fruition, it would continue to spark questions about licensing and intellectual-property rights for the underlying code. The big question: Would third parties get paid for their code contributions?

MBS Senior Vice President Doug Burgum summed up the dilemma that some partners are encountering: " 'I love shared source, but I want to get paid.' We're creating innovations on the edge. What's free and what's paid?"

Microsoft at large has fostered several shared-source projects. A few months ago, MBS dipped its toe in the water with its Sandbox and Dynamics AX "Snap tools".

James Utzschneider, general manager of Dynamics marketing at Microsoft, said he hopes that's just the beginning and there will be thousands of similar code contributions--from Microsoft and partners--relatively soon.

"Philosophically, Microsoft believes we can deliver value in integrated way that companies will be happy to pay for while at the same time harnessing energy around these collaborative Internet technologies," Utzschneider said.

The current Microsoft.com/Dynamics site is already active, but Microsoft wants to transform it from a general-purpose site to a role-based site and is expected to showcase a prototype on Tuesday during Burgum's keynote address. Such sites could act as clearinghouses and discussion groups for problems and opportunities among like-minded constituencies.

Dennis said one popular tool now available on www.gotdotnet.com is a Dynamics SL portal solution created by the group's consulting organization.

"We put it out with shared-source licenses, a permissive license that gives out the source code for this lightweight portal solution,” he said. “Partners can change it as they see fit and even make derivative products. They can contribute back, but it's not a reciprocal viral license--although we have those as well--that requires them to share code back with us."

Microsoft maintains there will always be a market for commercial, commercially-supported software. "I think there's way to marry both worlds,” Dennis said. “There will always be demand for a supported standard solution that Microsoft will stand behind but also provide partners great ways to innovate atop the stack."

One Great Plains customer said he would like to see an AppExchange-like online store that would allow him to try-before-buying applications. Salesforce.com launched AppExchange last year, positioning it as an eBay of software applications.

Microsoft said it will continue using unpaid volunteers to police and patrol its community sites. Skeptics say that commercial ISV/open-source alliances end up being a one-way street, benefiting the commercial entity.

Commercial technology companies like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and others are reaping the benefits of the community in terms of development and support but aren’t really paying their way, they say.