Microsoft in talks with Indian Govt to share source code

By siliconindia staff writer   |   Friday, 23 January 2004, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: In what could be a big strategy to boost its product sales in the country by tapping the largest buyer, software major Microsoft on Thursday said it is in discussions with Indian Government to share its source code. "We have a programme for making our source code available to governments around the world so that they can ensure the technology supports the national security interests of the country and we are in open discussions with the Indian Government as well," Microsoft Asia Pacific's chief technology officer Peter Moore told reporters on the sidelines of an e-governance function orgainsed by MAIT. He, however, added that the Indian Government's response is still awaited. Replying to query on preference for the use of open source software by many governments, he said: "for governments around that world, it is good to look at the choices available. At the end of the day, they have to evaluate the cost of the software, functions that it provides and Microsoft is addressing any concern on the value of our commercial software". "We will compete freely in the market with the open source software with the value of our technology", Moore said. He added the company had a long track record of supporting government needs in technology, allowing them to bring together services that are necessary over different functions of government making those available to people . "We do not believe that open source changes that commitment", he said.

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