Microsoft launches open source development site

Microsoft's CodePlex is hoping to attract budding developers

Microsoft has officially launched its open source developer website to promote the use of its software engineering technology among the development community. 

The CodePlex website has been running in a trial beta format since May and has received more than 100,000 visits worldwide. The initial 12 projects being worked on by developers have grown to more than 30. 

Jon Rosenberg, director of community source programmes at Microsoft, told vnunet.com that the research portal offered benefits for both sides.

"We really see this as a way for the developer community to get more transparency into Microsoft technology," he said.

"They can see the source code, they can understand much better how it works, and they can get ideas for how they will use it in their own products and services."

Rosenberg also maintained that the programme is a good way for budding developers to show what they can do.

"People do build reputations in the open source community and that is how you get to be a developer on a project," he said.

"Whenever a developer is looking for a job with a company they will point to their accomplishments, and these open source type projects can be a very good way for developers to become well known."

The source code and the bug fix forums on the CodePlex site can be viewed by anyone, but only registered users can submit work to the projects.

Once people have participated in the community and shown their credentials as effective developers on the project, the person leading it can give them full access so that they can actually make changes to the source code.

"At launch we will have over 30 projects, with about a dozen of them from Microsoft and the rest from the external community," said Rosenberg.

"We have seen quite a bit of interest already and have had over 150 requests to put projects up there, although we are not putting them all up at once."