A few days ago, Microsoft released an updated policy prohibiting the sale of open source programs on the Microsoft Store. This didn’t sit well with some developers, which caused an uproar on social media.
The problem actually started last month, Martin wrote about it here, pointing out some issues related to it. The Microsoft Store isn’t exactly well organized, we’ve seen some controversial stuff on it before. Legitimate open source applications have been rebranded by third parties and sold in the marketplace. These imitators are literally stealing other people’s work, it’s a scam.
Can open source applications be sold?
The popular evaluator graphics editor, Paint.NET, is an open source program. It is available for free on the official website. The Microsoft Store version of the app, on the other hand, is not free.
Before asking a question asking if it’s legal, yes it is. Let me explain. Just because an app has an open source license doesn’t mean it has to be free, the developer can choose to sell their program, it depends on the open source license they chose. A good example would be that of Robert Broglia emulation apps on Android, these are paid applications (except for SNES 9X+), but the source code because its applications are publicly available, which means anyone can compile them for free. Paying the one-time fee is a convenient way to get apps and related updates from the Google Play Store. It is GPL compliant.
But that’s a rare case, it’s up to the developers to decide whether their open source program should be free or paid. The majority of open source software is available for free, developers usually give users the option to donate money in order to support the project, to cover costs (electricity bills, internet bills, etc.). When it comes to Paint.NET, the Microsoft Store version gives users another way to support development. Instead of donating money directly, you can buy the app to help the developers.
Prohibiting copycat programs is no doubt a good decision, but herein lies the problem, why does Microsoft prohibit the sale of genuine open source programs on the Microsoft Store? Hayden Barnes, Senior Director of Engineering at SUSE, underline that good programs like WinSCP, Krita have sales on the Microsoft Store. It’s not fair to punish everyone just because some people have committed fraud, is it? Is this happening? Well, apparently not.
Giorgio Sardo, General Manager of Apps, Partners and Microsoft Store at Microsoft, replied to developer critics, confirming that the policy change was made to protect users of refurbished FOSS apps that were being sold on the storefront. He also clarified that Microsoft wants to help developers distribute open source software through the Store. Sardo said the company is revising the policy to clarify the intent.
I think it’s a fair decision, ban fake apps and allow real ones. This is how the Microsoft Store should have worked in the first place, well, I guess better late than never.
Summary
Article name
Microsoft Store will not ban legitimate paid open source programs
The description
Microsoft clarifies that it will not ban legitimate paid open source programs from the Microsoft Store.
Author
Ashvin
Editor
Ghacks Technology News
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