Shared Source Initiative: WiX Code Release to SourgeForge

On Monday, April 5, 2004, as part of the Shared Source Initiative, Microsoft releases the source code for the Windows Installer XML (WiX) developer tool to SourceForge under the IBM Common Public License or CPL. The WiX project is the first Shared Source Initiative to go "public" on Source Forge rather than a Microsoft site. It is also the first to use an externally created “Open Source” license.

Microsoft supports the idea that a software developer should be free to choose how they license their work and for the goals of WiX, the CPL was the right fit.

Background Details:

• The Windows Installer XML (WiX - pronounced "wicks") is a toolset for advanced Windows developers that builds Windows installation packages from XML source code. Overall, WiX can improve the process of how software developers release software.
• WiX has grown organically and spread rapidly inside Microsoft for our own product builds (e.g. SQL, BizTalk, Exchange, Office, Virtual Server, many MSN properties) and there is a healthy internal community already contributing to the toolset.
• Many Microsoft product development teams use WiX to deliver their installation packages. Utilizing the 1.0 Common Language Runtime, WiX builds with Visual Studio.Net 2003 on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and will be of use with future Windows offerings.
• For more information please see http://sourceforge.net/projects/wix/