Potentially helping developers more quickly build cross-platform applications, Microsoft is releasing as open source its WinJS JavaScript library for building Windows-styled controls.

Now that the library is open source, developers can use it to build and design Windows-like Web applications for other browsers and platforms, including Chrome, Firefox, Android, and iOS.

Microsoft continued its historic open source efforts by announcing it will donate the technology behind its Chakra JavaScript engine to the community -- and solicit outside help in making it cross ...