I read with a great deal of interest the Microsoft Open Specification Promise. It was particularly interesting to read the community feedback and realize that Microsoft has been consciously and conscientiously working with the open source community to develop this document. That’s an important step forward for them, as it demonstrates they believe the open source community is now integral to the broad adoption of technologies they care about.
There has long been a question as to whether Microsoft would someday use its patent portfolio to attack the open source community. Although this document is not perfect, and I’m guessing some will push hard for even broader promises, it is a clear indication that at least in the WS-* space that Microsoft is committed to enabling open source implementations of this technology without fear of a patent lawsuit from them. And that is clearly a positive step.
This is also an important development for Eclipse’s Higgins project which is leading the way in identity management. I know that the team has been working with Microsoft to help make this development come about. Congratulations on this development.
