Microsoft Releases Moodle Plugin under GPL

Jul 22, 2009

Microsoft has again released code under GPLv2, this time the Live Services plugin Moodle.

Microsoft's contribution follows close on the heels of the release of its Hyper-V driver to the Linux kernel under GPLv2. The free Live Services Moodle educational website builder for teachers and students can now be tied in with the Live@edu service for email, calendars and IM. Teachers and students can use their Windows Live IDs to sign in to Moodle, allowing them access to the Live Hotmail, Live Calendar, Windows Live Messenger and, finally, the Bing search engine.

Moddle inventor Martin Dougiamas announced the module in a way quite uncharacteristic for Microsoft, thereby also highlighting an option deviating from their customary practices: "Since (from a programming point of view) Live has the same APIs as any Exchange server, I think a lot of Moodlers will be using this code to integrate Moodle closely with their private Exchange servers as well."

Microsoft linked the plugin from its Education Labs site, about which corporate VP for the Education Products Group, L. Michael Golden, posted a blog. The current OSCON conference in San Jose CA also provides a video about the plugin.

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