MSFT's Interoperability Principles
Feb 21, 2008
Microsoft pulled out the big guns today for its open source announcement, but that hasn't stopped some skeptics from trying to shoot it down.
Flanked by general counsel Brad Smith and chief software architect Ray Ozzie, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer introduced the company's new interoperability principles at a morning press conference where he described the decision to open up the APIs for Windows Vista, Office, SQL Server and other products as "consistent with the new world in which we live."
He added that "Microsoft's long-term success depends on [its] ability to deliver a software and services platform that is open, flexible, and provides customers and developers with choice."
That seems especially true in the European Union where antitrust regulators that continue to target the software maker reacted with this cautious response: The Commission would welcome any move towards genuine interoperability. Nonetheless, the Commission notes that today's announcement follows at least four similar statements by Microsoft in the past on the importance of interoperability.
Legal chief Brad Smith explained to reporters that his company expected, and is prepared, for the skepticism and questions surrounding today's news. And he said something else that even Microsoft's staunchest critics could agree with: "We recognize that ultimately people will test and assess us not by the words, but by the actions that we take to implement them."
To start, Microsoft has posted over 30,000 pages of technical documentation online for anyone to access for free, with the promise to share more in coming months.
Tags:
European Commission, Intellectual Property, interoperability, Microsoft
