Microsoft had plenty of big announcements at its Connect() 2018 virtual event this week, including the launch of Visual Studio 2019 Preview 1. Also, the company had plenty of good news for the open source community. Among the Connect() 2018 announcements was the introduction of three popular Windows UX frameworks becoming open source.
As we have seen in recent years, Microsoft is now fully embracing open source. Indeed, the company’s developer events are taking an ever-increasing focus on open solutions.
With that in mind, the release of three Windows UX frameworks to GitHub makes sense. There frameworks are Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Forms, and Windows UI XAML Library (WinUI).
By open sourcing these frameworks, Microsoft is giving developers the ability to actively contribute to feature creations. Additionally, third-parties can now debug the frameworks and provide an fixes when needed.
Microsoft says WPF is not complete open just year, with only smaller components available at the moment. However, Windows Forms and WinUI are completely open and available right now.
.NET Foundation
Microsoft also revealed it is open sourcing the governance and participation of .NET Foundation.
The .NET Foundation is an independent organization that promotes open development and collaboration around the .NET ecosystem. The organization was founded in March 2014 by Microsoft.
By open sourcing the foundation, outside sources can now help to guide the direction of the organization. Microsoft also introduced Pivotal, Progress Telerik, and Insight Enterprises to the foundation. Additionally, the .NET Foundation board has expanded to seven seats, with elections to begin in January.
Microsoft says any person who has had any contribution with the foundation can vote. The company says it wants to scale growth of .NET by leveraging the open source community.
