IronPython is fully open source and was the first project to be released under Microsoft’s OSI approved Ms-PL (Microsoft Public License).

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Despite this the IronPython development process is shackled with some lawyer imposed restrictions. Community members can’t contribute to the project, IronPython developers can’t look at the source code of Python itself and IronPython can’t submit code changes or fixes back to Python or its standard library. It is only recently that we have had public commit messages on checkins to the public repository and that the Python standard library has been included with IronPython. The team still aren’t able to modify the standard library for better compatibility with IronPython though; neither do they publish the internal tests they use on IronPython.

So, the IronProject is 100% “fullyopen source”, assuming your definition of open source is:

• The community can’t contribute to the project
• The project can’t contribute to the community beyond the immediate project itself.
• Project developers can not even look at related Free and Open Source code.

What exactly is the purpose of using an Open Source license and calling yourself “Open Source”, if you use extra-license methods to prevent the very things that make Open Source work? Is it just PR, to be able to pretend to be open source-friendly?

Just release under a no-charge proprietary EULA; not this Neutered Source™ garbage.

Let me be clear

This is not an attack against the IronPython project or its developers. I’m sure they are all fine people with a fine project. It is just funny to me that some people want so bad to pretend Microsoft is something it is not.