Microsoft Corp today made significant changes to its business model, taking steps toward open-source initiatives and sharing some of its application programming interfaces (API) and communications protocols free of charge with developers outside its corporate structure.
It is immediately implementing four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions across its high-volume business products: ensuring open connections; promoting data portability; enhancing support for industry standards; and fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open-source communities. Microsoft named Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007, and future versions of all these products as the high-volume business products impacted by today’s actions.
In doing so, Microsoft will publish on its Web site documentation for all APIs and communications protocols in the high-volume products that are used by other Microsoft products. The company said developers will not need to take a license or pay a royalty or other fee to access this information.
Separately, Microsoft is providing a covenant not to sue open-source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of implementations of these protocols. Microsoft said developers will be able to use the documentation for free to develop products and that companies that engage in commercial distribution of these protocol implementations will be able to obtain a patent license.
Aw! Yeah?? Haven'e we heard this before
Source: By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, Electronic News
It is immediately implementing four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions across its high-volume business products: ensuring open connections; promoting data portability; enhancing support for industry standards; and fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open-source communities. Microsoft named Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007, and future versions of all these products as the high-volume business products impacted by today’s actions.
In doing so, Microsoft will publish on its Web site documentation for all APIs and communications protocols in the high-volume products that are used by other Microsoft products. The company said developers will not need to take a license or pay a royalty or other fee to access this information.
Separately, Microsoft is providing a covenant not to sue open-source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of implementations of these protocols. Microsoft said developers will be able to use the documentation for free to develop products and that companies that engage in commercial distribution of these protocol implementations will be able to obtain a patent license.
Aw! Yeah?? Haven'e we heard this before
To be true, today’s interoperability moves are about more than technology. Microsoft has on more than one occasion found itself entangled in legal proceedings concerning antitrust business activity. Indeed, in September 2007 the European Court of First Instance (CFI) upheld a more than $736 million (497 million Euros) fine Microsoft was charged with for infringing the European Commission (EC) treaty rules on abuse of a dominant market position. That CFI ruling also ordered Microsoft to become more open in its business practices.
but I think, if MS's thinkin in those terms... its 4 d betta! Lets wait n watch!Source: By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, Electronic News