Is open source getting to Microsoft?

Microsoft’s decision to not enforce patents on Web services standards underscores the growing acceptance of core open-source tenets. The software giant on Tuesday published the Microsoft Open Specification Promise, a document that says that Microsoft will not sue anyone who creates software based on Web services technology, a set of standardized communication protocols designed by Microsoft and other vendors.

Open source has definitely affected Microsoft, but I highly doubt it will ever get the better of them. It’s reassuring to know that they don’t intend to sue people for writing software based off web services… this should prove a win/win in the end.