September 29th, 2008
Microsoft JQuery adoption is an open source tipping point
The decision by Microsoft to add JQuery to its Visual Studio may seem like no big deal, but it strikes me as evidence we are on the other side of an important tipping point in tech history.
The war between business models is over. Open source has won.
We are now negotiating terms of the peace treaty. Microsoft believes JQuery enhances the basic Visual Studio product. That’s why they’re using it.
At The Universal Desktop, Ryan Stewart says this move, and support for ADO.Net, makes it much easier for Javascript developers to include the Microsoft Data Services stack. That’s what is in this for Microsoft.
When Microsoft needs open source software, and open source developers, to retain market share that’s a very big deal. Someone just got embraced and extended, and I think it was Microsoft.
This does not mean Microsoft, or Nokia (which has also adopted JQuery), are going away. In the present business environment their cash hordes and market positions are stronger than ever.
But on the other side of the crisis it’s an open source world.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for 30 years, a tech freelancer since 1983. You can follow Dana on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 09/29/08
