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Microsoft Shows Sony a Better Way

By Pamela Jones et al.

There's a wonderful article about Sony's long history of going after creative coders, including the shameful AIBO episode. I can't link to the article's history of Sony's longtime fight against modders because it includes some keys that make Sony turn purple, and I don't wish to be part of this news story, just report on it, and heaven only knows Sony seems to have issues. Plus they have a court-ordered injunction, and Groklaw always shows respect to the courts, regardless of personal views. But the article includes a fabulous link to a tweet by Microsoft VP Brandon Watson, Director for Windows Phone 7, who wrote this to George Hotz when Sony sued him for modding the PlayStation 3:

#geohot if you want to build cool stuff on #wp7, send me email and the team will give you a phone - let dev creativity flourish #wp7dev

I just wanted the world to know that not everyone views this brainiac kid as some kind of criminal the way Sony has described him in the lawsuit. Instead, they realize that he's a resource for creative possibilities. (Here's what he's accomplished already.) And I commend Microsoft for having the smarts to see it. Maybe Sony needs to seriously think about the future, because the future is openness. You know why? Because no matter how large a company is, it can't afford to hire all the coders in the world. To tap into that well, you need to open up. When even Microsoft sees that, it's time.

Full post as published by Groklaw on February 25, 2011 (boomark / email).