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From the Editors: Microsoft Should Walk Its Interoperability Talk

By SD Times News Team

March 15, 2008 — (Page 1 of 2)
We favor interoperability and welcome Microsoft’s pledge to share technical information that will help developers write software that works well with its products. However, we question whether it will follow through with its promise or re-engage in the type of minimalist disclosure and foot dragging that has done little to obscure its solipsism.

The timing of Microsoft’s announcement is conspicuous. Despite its frequent claims that it believes in interoperability, the company only shares knowledge when threatened by courts.

In this latest round, Microsoft has publishing documentation for Windows server protocols. Its plan to share interoperability information is fairly comprehensive, and the company has committed itself to a timeline for releasing API documentation for many of its high-volume products.

Further, Microsoft seems willing to work with the open-source community... as long as they're developing software that won't be used in a commercial environment. In other words, it supports open source as long as it's not a competitive threat.

If Microsoft invests the resources necessary for ISVs and enterprise developers to understand how its products work, and its documentation is reasonably good, it could make significant strides toward making interoperability a reality, and that benefits everyone—including Microsoft.

Interoperability keeps customers happy and ensures that Microsoft products are good actors in increasingly heterogeneous IT infrastructures.

In the past, Microsoft has demonstrated a willingness to work toward interoperability on its own accord. The company’s embrace of WS-* Web standards is an excellent example. But its willingness to be play well with others has not always been apparent—even in its recent history.

Microsoft was fined €899 million (US$1.3 billion) for a good reason: It was making bank off of the EC’s mandate that it provide competitors with interoperability information. In July 2006, it was fined €280.5 million ($357 million) for stalling. Failure to comply with a court order is hardly a sign that it has wanted interoperability.

Trailing backward, Microsoft’s record is even less inspiring. In the movie “Thank You For Smoking,” one of the main characters was asked, “Dad, why is the American government the best government?” and responded, “Because of our endless appeals system.”

Related Search Term(s): Open source, interoperability

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