This is great for Microsoft, but not so hot for anyone else unless Microsoft chooses to exercise its freedom benevolently, which it so far hasn't. Nor should the fact that there are people dimwitted enough to sign on, including developers whose ability to produce and sell their products depends on Microsoft's permission and who therefore must pay homage to their feudal master. Well, software doesn't want anything. Software is a series of 0s and 1s. It does not care if it's under lock and key, being used as a coaster, fdisked into oblivion, or running the systems that launch a nuclear attack.
Software is dead.
It does not have the emotions of a goldfish. A goldfish might want to depart its bowl and move to the stream outside, but the wisdom of the relocation will fall short at its first encounter with a bass. I want one of the nifty little Sony Vaio Picturebooks, and moreover I want Sony to put a real modem in the thing. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.