Microsoft announced today that they will be making the source code for the .NET Framework 3.5 available when the framework ships along with Visual Studio 2008 later this year. From Scott Guthrie:
Having source code access and debugger integration of the .NET Framework libraries is going to be really valuable for .NET developers. Being able to step through and review the source should provide much better insight into how the .NET Framework libraries are implemented, and in turn enable developers to build better applications and make even better use of them.
This is pretty cool news. I think it’s great for .NET itself too, as I suspect Microsoft will receive a ton of really useful feedback after developers have had a chance to get their hands dirty. There’s literally dozens of ways that this will positively impact the .NET community.
Of course, not everyone is impressed. Already the news has been called a “poison pill” by some, and simply a bad idea by others. Well, you can’t please everyone. And when it comes to Microsoft, there never seems to be a shortage of conspiracy theorists.
For more thoughts, be sure to check out TechMeme and also this post from Miguel de Icaza of the Mono project.
Read: ScottGu’s Blog
MasterMaq's Blog 
The big companies are finally starting to clue in on the idea that transparency is a good thing.
I’ve been reading you on my RSS but have been bad about getting here to comment. Sorry to hear about your article in the Edmontonians On Line. Some of their stuff was kind of off-the-wall, but I’ve heard worse. Keep us posted on how it goes with them.
🙂
Thanks Meg! Yes, an update on that article is long overdue…