Microsoft reversed its decision to ban the sale of open source software in its app store after outcry from the developer community.
The change follows a recent report that the company was willing to delay the introduction of new rules banning open source software from the Microsoft Store, originally scheduled for this week.
But after major protests, the measure now appears to have been canceled for good.
Microsoft Store policy changes
Microsoft Store CEO Giorgio Sardo took to Twitter (opens in a new tab) to announce the company's decision to back down.
"Last month we shared some updates to the Microsoft Store policies to help protect customers from misleading product listings. We listened to your feedback and today we have changed the policies 10.8.7 and 11.2 (opens in a new tab)", said. .
"To clarify our intent, we removed the above mention of open source pricing. We are committed to creating an open storefront and allowing developers choice and flexibility."
Sardo previously revealed that Microsoft was in limbo in a Tweet on July 8, 2022:
"On June 16, we shared a policy to protect customers from misleading listings, effective July 16. In listening to the developer community, we received feedback that may be perceived differently than expected. We will be delaying implementation of this policy until we clarify intent.
Despite the changes, the company has remained firm when it comes to browser engines: only Chromium and Gecko (along with the now-discontinued EdgeHTML) will be supported, meaning no other engines, such as WebKit, will be supported. from Apple.
The changes were intended to tackle fraudsters, who would repackage open source apps for profit, but legitimate developers will have been hurt by the proposed changes with potential financial implications.
In his series of three tweets, Sardo requests that any "intellectual property issues related to an app" be reported directly to Microsoft (opens in a new tab).
Via BetaNews (Opens in a new tab)