[Infowarrior] - Microsoft opens APIs and protocols to all

[Richard Forno]

Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/21/microsoft_goes_open/
Microsoft opens APIs and protocols to all
By Ashlee Vance in Mountain View (ashlee.vance at theregister.co.uk)
Published Thursday 21st February 2008 16:27 GMT

In an apparent bid to calm still feisty regulators, Microsoft has agreed to
publish application programming interfaces (APIs) for its major software
products and provide free access to those interfaces. In addition, Microsoft
will free up protocols around its client and server software and has vowed
not to sue open source companies that create non-commercial versions of
these protocols.

This shift, first revealed
(http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/21/microsoft_api_open/) by The
Register, represents a major change in Microsoft's conduct. The company's
tight control over the key APIs that help others interact with Microsoft's
software have been a subject of controversy for both US and European
regulators. Now it would seem that Microsoft wants to assuage critics by
embracing a more open software development model.

Specifically, Microsoft revealed that it will publish the APIs for Windows
Vista, Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007 and
Office SharePoint Server 2007 on its website. "Developers do not need to
take a license or pay a royalty or other fee to access this information,"
the company said. "Open access to this documentation will ensure that
third-party developers can connect to Microsoft¹s high-volume products just
as Microsoft¹s other products do."

In addition, Microsoft will release some 30,000 pages of documentation
surrounding Windows client and server protocols. In the past, partners and
customers needed to acquire a trade secret license to this information
through the Microsoft Work Group Server Protocol Program (WSPP) and the
Microsoft Communication Protocol Program (MCPP). Similar protocol reveals
will occur for Office 2007 and other "high-volume products" in the coming
months.

Microsoft also plans to highlight which protocols are covered by its patents
and will "license all of these patents on reasonable and non-discriminatory
terms, at low royalty rates."

Looking longer-term, Microsoft has pledged not to sue developers who craft
open source versions of its protocols. This would seem to cover projects
such as Samba.

Had enough yet? Well, Microsoft hasn't.

On the we're so open it hurts front, Microsoft now plans to provide detailed
documentation on how it supports industry standards and extensions. " To
increase transparency and promote interoperability, when Microsoft supports
a standard in a high-volume product, it will work with other major
implementers of the standard toward achieving robust, consistent and
interoperable implementations across a broad range of widely deployed
products."

The company has also pledged - wait for it - to support other document
formats in Office 2007. It's going to craft fresh APIs for Word, Excel and
PowerPoint applications that will let developers plug in their own document
formats and even set those formats as the default setting for saving files.

And with Redmond turning into Hippie Town, Microsoft has launched an Open
Source Interoperability Initiative. The OSII will work to ensure
interoperability between Microsoft and open source code through testing and
cooperative development.

Microsoft's top executives will provide more details on these programs
during a morning conference call. We'll bring you the hot and heavy action.
There's more information on today's moves here
(http://www.microsoft.com/interop/).®