Microsoft bars some open source apps from WinPhone Marketplace

Fate of other open source softwares for Windows Phone is also uncertain

Microsoft said it has stopped the sale of some open source software for Windows Phone and Xbox from its Windows Phone Marketplace.

The software giant has barred apps licensed under GNU General Public License v3 (GPLv3), Affero GPLv3, and LGPLv3, and also reserved the right to exclude any equivalents of this trio, according to Windows Phone Marketplace Application Provider Agreement.

The Free Software Foundation released GPLv3, Affero GPLv3, and LGPLv3 in 2007, but their use is very less as compared to GPL2, which is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU project.

The agreement states that programmes "must not include software that... in whole or in part, are governed by or subject to an Excluded License", which "include, but are not limited to the GPLv3 Licenses."

Developers will not be allowed by Microsoft to either publish source code of their Windows Phone applications or release them under GPL or GNU Affero licences. The company believes that this effort may somehow increase security.

According to media reports, it is believed that this effort will force developers to look for other mobile operating systems for creating apps instead for Microsoft mobile OS.

Microsoft is not the first technology company that has taken such step.

In 2010, iPhone maker Apple prohibited GPLv2-licensed iPhone app GNU to be sold from its AppStore, following the Free Software Foundation statement which said that the store's terms of service contradicted the GPLv2 license.