Big business is very happy when the goverment uses their project. In an effort to try and turn government officials away from the rising tide of open-source software, Microsoft Corp. is planning on expanding its source-code sharing program with governments by adding its Office 2003 software to the mix.

The Redmond, Washington, company said this week that it would be offering governments access to the Office code under a shared source license as part of its Government Security Program. The U.K. government has already signed up to see the code, Microsoft says.

In addition to responding to open source threats, Microsoft is also hoping that by allowing governments to lift the lid on Office it can diminish the mounting security concerns raised about its software.

Microsoft has long offered governments access to source code for its Windows desktop software but has made gestures recently to disclose even more about its products. Last year the company began allowing governments access to Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas, enabling them to incorporate the schemas into their own software to improve the interoperability with Office documents. Under the new shared source license for Office Microsoft said it would give governments related technical information and allow program participants to discuss existing and future projects related to the software.

In addition to offering more shared source licenses, the company has also sent signals that it would be willing to cooperate more with rivals. Under a litigation cease fire deal sealed with Sun earlier this year, Microsoft said it would look for more ways to work with developers of the Open Office open source project, although it apparently reserved the right to sue them for patent infringement.

Microsoft's expansive gestures appear to be geared toward keeping a firm grip on the public sector, which often awards the largest software contracts in any country. The software maker says that more than 30 countries have already signed onto its Government Security Program, and that it has already won an adherent to the new Office shared source license in the British government.

Microsoft released news of the Office licensing program from Europe, underscoring the importance it places on winning big government deals in the region. Government bodies in Germany, Hungary, France, and Italy have all recently thrown support behind open source initiatives, putting pressure on Microsoft to work harder at winning public sector contracts in Europe.