Facebook: Yep, we're doing the open-source thing

As rumored earlier, Facebook will indeed be announcing an open-source project for its developer platform. The social network released a statement Tuesday to clarify the gossip--while still not offering much in the way of detail.

"We're working on an open-source initiative that is meant to help application developers better understand Facebook Platform and more easily build applications, whether it's by running their own test servers, building tools, or optimizing their applications," a statement from Facebook read.

"As Facebook Platform continues to mature, open-sourcing the infrastructure behind it is a natural step so developers can build richer social applications and share what they've learned with the ecosystem," the statement continued. "Additional details will be released soon."

So it's still not clear as to just how extensive the open-source project, which TechCrunch says is called "fbOpen," will be: whether the entire platform will become an open-source environment or whether there will simply be more open-source principles scattered throughout the technology.

Regardless, this will likely be framed as a grassroots, pro-developer move at a time when some vocal developers have criticized Facebook for being too "corporate."

[ShaunRConnolly]

I try to provide a little more context around this move by Facebook in my "Social Networking Big Dog: Facebook or Google?" blog:

http://connollyshaun.blogspot.com/2008/05/social-networking-big-dog-facebook-or.html

[ShaunRConnolly]

I try to provide a little more context around this move by Facebook in my "Social Networking Big Dog: Facebook or Google?" blog:

http://connollyshaun.blogspot.com/2008/05/social-networking-big-dog-facebook-or.html