Open Source at Microsoft – ClearlyDefined and Open-Source Supply Chain Security
May 25, 2022
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Nell from Microsoft and Sebastian from SAP discuss ClearlyDefined as a data store for open-source licenses, open-source supply chain security, Microsoft's open source history, and SAP's engagement with open source projects. They explore SPDX identifiers, corporate transformations, and the evolution of SAP's open source journey, and Microsoft's approach to open source security with automated vulnerability scanning and securing web dependencies.
Transition from open source license compliance to supply chain security at Microsoft.
Evolution of Microsoft and SAP from skepticism to active open source engagement.
Deep dives
Nell Shumrel Harrington and Bastian Wolf: Clearly Defined vs. Supply Chain Security
Nell Shumrel Harrington from Microsoft discusses the shift from clearly defined, focusing on open source license compliance, to open source supply chain security. The shift entails verifying open source dependencies for security, ensuring their integrity and origin, emphasizing a security-centric approach over purely licensing compliance. Microsoft and SAP collaborate on clearly defined, with contributions from both sides enhancing the open source ecosystem.
Evolution from Past to Present: Microsoft and SAP's Open Source Engagement
Microsoft and SAP have transitioned from skepticism towards open source to active engagement and contribution. Microsoft emphasizes transforming its toxic relationship with open source into a collaborative approach, benefiting from open source adoption and community contributions. SAP similarly evolved, becoming a founding member of the Eclipse Foundation, emphasizing consumption and contribution of open source components in software development.
The Future of Open Source and Key Takeaways
The narrative of evolving open source engagement underscores the widespread adoption and contribution across industries, indicating the realization of the 90s and 2000s open source dream. Moving forward, the focus shifts towards responsible use, encompassing aspects like license compliance and supply chain security. The podcast guests emphasize the significance of understanding open source software usage in a responsible and secure manner, highlighting the journey and challenges ahead in the open source realm.
In this episode, our host Karsten Hohage talks to Nell Shamrell-Harrington from Microsoft and Sebastian Wolf from SAP about ClearlyDefined, a central data store for all open-source licenses across many different open-source ecosystems, and open source supply chain security at Microsoft. Nell explains both projects, talks about Microsoft’s open source history and evolution, and we also learn about the differences and similarities between Microsoft and SAP’s open source engagement from Sebastian.
Guest:
Nell Shamrell-Harrington is a principal software engineer at Microsoft in the Azure Office of the CTO, and former lead engineer for ClearlyDefined. She is also on the board of directors of the RUST foundation.
Sebastian Wolf is a development architect and has been working for the SAP Open Source Program Office (OSPO) since the beginning of 2020. He first joined SAP back in 2003 as a student and has since worked in several development positions – for example at SAP SRM, ABAP Development Tools, the SAP Community Network, and Central Architecture.