Microsoft rewards software improvements with legal threats

A BRITISH CODER, Jamie Cansdale, who developed an add—on for Microsoft Visual Studio has been read the riot act by Volish lawyers.

Microsoft initially loved TestDriven.NET which allows unit test suites to be run directly from within Vole's IDE. It even gave him the Most Valuable Professional Award for the idea.

However, apparently he was not well loved across the glorious Volish empire. In December 2005 he started getting notes from Volish bigwig Jason Weber. Weber was apparently miffed that Cansdale's design only supported the cut-down version of Microsoft Visual Studio and not the big paid for version.

He told Cansdale that he had violated the Express licence agreements and accused him of reverse engineering APIs.

Cansdale told them to go forth and multiply as he had taken the APIs from Vole's own website. He also had a look at the licence and can find no mention about what Weber was blathering about.

He also has taken legal advice and now Vole has upped the anti and ordered him to disable his product by 4pm today or be sued into a coma.

What ever Weber's motivation for this hissy fit, we suspect that the PR department in Redmond might want to have a word with him about what is a colossal own goal.

More here. µ