Cloud Driving Microsoft To Open Source?

“Sam Ramji thinks the days where Microsoft’s, (and Apple’s, and Oracle’s) love-hate relationship with open source are numbered, thanks to the cloud. Whereas some open source advocates say the cloud may kill open source, because users won’t have access to the source, Ramji says the cloud will be its salvation. Ramji, Microsoft’s original internal open source dude, thinks companies building clouds won’t be able to keep up if they don’t participate in open source communities because that’s where the developers building new cloud infrastructure are doing most of their work. The main concerns standing in the way for both cloud builders and users of free software are legal fears, he contends. These include fears of the GPL’s copyleft provision and fears of being sued by downstream users. Is he right … or full of FUD?”