Samba Project Considering Purchasing License for Windows Protocols

Oct 23, 2007

Nils Magnus

Now that Microsoft has stated that it is prepared to give competitors access to technical documentation in a case heard by the EU Commission, the Samba project is considering purchasing a license.

The Samba project can afford the asking price, which is estimated at around 10,000 euros, says Samba developer Volker Lendecke. "But we need to investigate the legal implications of this step", said Lendecke at the fringe of the Perspektive Open Source Conference.

The project is in close contact with FSF legal expert Eben Moglen who will be investigating the terms of the license. "The step would be a major boost to Samba as regards implementing an Active Directory server", says Lendecke referring to the advantages of the license. If the project detected a deviation between the specification and the implementation, Microsoft would be required to modify its products or specifications. In both cases the developers at the Open Source project expect improved conformity and interoperability with Windows clients and servers.

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