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May 23, 2002

According to a report in The Washington Post, Microsoft Corp. is "aggressively" trying to convince the Pentagon to abandon its use of freely distributed software, claiming open source software threatens Department of Defense security. The story also claims Microsoft contends that use of free software with commercial software, such as Microsoft's, violates intellectual property rights.

The Post also quotes Pentagon officials as saying Microsoft claims that Pentagon funding of research on making free software more secure is, in effect, subsidizing Microsoft's competitors.

Open source software developers make the underlying computer code available to anyone to license, enhance or customize. Companies such as Microsoft and Oracle keep their underlying source code secret and collect all licensing fees.

Despite Microsoft's efforts, however, a May 10 Department of Defense report prepared by the Mitre Corp. says that open source software "often" results in more secure software. The report also says open source software is less expensive and its use should be expanded.

"Banning open source would have immediate, broad, and strongly negative impacts on the ability of many sensitive and security-focused DOD groups to protect themselves against cyberattacks," the Post quotes the Mitre Report as saying.

A Microsoft spokesman told the Post the software giant had been holding discussions with the Department of Defense about open source software but denied the company was urging the Pentagon to ban the use of it.

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