I love open source and have used open source technologies throughout my career. I programmed using the LAMP stack in the early 2000s, worked with Red Hat Linux before RHEL came about and contributed with unit tests and bug fixes to two open source frameworks: one logging framework and one ORM. So when my colleagues and friends knew I joined Microsoft, they were sure I wouldn’t be able to use open source software or publish any source code under an open source license.
Well… times have changed, like, really really changed! …and the Open Source Community is thriving, even at Microsoft. Talk Openly Develop Openly, aka TODO, is an organization focusing on the challenges and opportunities of managing open source projects.
There is a Microsoft Code of Conduct that you should follow when you join one of Microsoft OSS communities. And yes, the code is for everyone to see. If you can understand it, there is no reason why that “truth” or source code should be hidden from you.
Do you want to contribute shaping the future of the .NET framework ecosystem and create open source solutions using this platform? Do you want to contribute to the a portion of the actual framework? You can, but you should abey by the rules of an open source community, which might not be as forgiving as a closed code one.
Happy coding!