Store apps Windows 8 will include free software

Unlike Apple's App Store, the App Store Windows 8 will allow the inclusion of free software in its catalog.

The contract for developers is clear and makes an exception in one of the items. The producers of the application must provide a license to use its own. If not provided, will be applied to Standard Application License Terms, a license defined by MS. Yet the licenses provided shall be consistent with the specifications of the license of MS.

In general, the licensing terms must allow the use of the program on the device associated with a particular Windows Live ID, without guaranteeing the right to copy. But free software for the exception was granted. Any license recognized by the Open Source Initiative is valid (as the GPL and Apache, among many others).

In Apple's case the restriction on the distribution of the most committed free licenses, making it impossible legally to publish some free software projects in the App Store. The producer said that Adium for some time. A great discussion took place around VLC too, which meant that it could be removed from the App Store . If any developer complain because a piece of code is that it contributed in a closed, which can not be redistributed, it ends with reason, since the whole was free and should be kept open until the end (at least in the case of LPG ).

Despite being a proprietary system to an extreme, Windows users use many, many open source projects, even without knowing it. Firefox and Chrome (with the base of Chromium, the open) are best known, but would to name a few. Aside from the Inno Setup and NSIS, two generators installation programs very popular, they are there even when installing restricted programs.

In the case of the App Store takes great interest around the program "Metro", which take advantage of the new interface of Windows 8. And knowing that it will allow the inclusion of open source software with no restrictions for licensing reasons can be considered a relief (at least for developers).