Should Microsoft make IE open source?
Microsoft looks to Internet Explorer 9 to help it retain the lead in browsers, and possibly increase market share. But maybe it's time for Microsoft to try something far more radical: Make Internet Explorer open source.
Microsoft is betting that IE 9's increased speed and better adherence to HTML 5 standards will stem the erosion of IE's market share. I'm not sure that's enough, though. Firefox and Chrome are gaining on IE at least in part because of the vibrant ecosystem of developers who write add-ins for those browsers.
Making IE open source could help quickly build a similar ecosystem for IE, and help fend off Firefox and Chrome. In addition, if Microsoft made IE open source, it could take some of the ideas that developers come up with for the browser itself, and incorporate them into its version of the browser. Better ideas are at a premium; this would be a cheap way to get them.
