Microsoft not to ban commercial open source apps on Windows Store

Microsoft on Tuesday decided not to implement a policy to ban developers from selling open source software on Windows Store.

The policy to ban commercial open source apps was set to go into effect from July 16.

Microsoft has now removed the mention of open source software from its Store Policies document.

“On June 16, we shared changes to updates made to several policies aimed at protecting customers from misleading listing. In listening to the developer community, we have determined one of those updates could be perceived differently than intended,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Microsoft Store has now published an update to the policy “in order to clarify the language to better reflect our intention. The policy will now go into effect starting today”, the spokesperson added.

Earlier Microsoft Store policy said that developers must not attempt to profit from open-source or other software that is otherwise generally available for free, nor be priced irrationally high relative to the features and functionality provided by your product.

The announcement irked the developer community as it would hamper their efforts to monetise open source software.

The policy change was first announced on June 16.

There are several examples of open source software sold in Microsoft’s app store such as video editing software Shotcut and FTP clients such as WinSCP.

–IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor