I cam across an article on InformationWeek “Microsoft Azure Grows More Open.” From what I know and the people I talk to, I truly believe Microsoft has been opening up over the last several years, especially for developers. The rate tools and frameworks are built and supported by Visual Studio is one key sign of the openness. Another sign is with Windows Azure and all the technologies it supports.
Windows Azure supports a lot of technologies that are not their own. Any language that can be compiled or run on a Windows Server can be used in Windows Azure. Microsoft may not have documents that specifically call out all languages that work in the environment, though they do point out a few other than their own. For instance Windows Azure supports .NET, Python, PHP, Node.js and Java just to name a few. Windows Azure also has mobile services that can easily integrate with HTML5, Android and IOS, not just Windows Phone. They even offer sample code and projects for you to learn from. Here is a link to see some of the open-source software Windows Azure supports.
Microsoft even has a subsidiary “Microsoft Open Technologies.” MS Open Tech works with several standards organizations and open source communities. MS Open Tech isn’t just focused on Windows Azure either, they focus on building bridges between Microsoft and non-Microsoft Technologies.
So I invite you to give Windows Azure a try if you haven’t already. If you need a Windows Azure subscription, here is the link for a free trial.
