Microsoft Makes Strategic Changes in Technology and Business Practices to Expand Interoperability

The one thing that Microsoft does even better than breeding malware is release Announcements. They're always releasing Announcements. Reminds me of the Jim Jones movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080832/ , where he's all sweaty and drug-addled, spending his days endlessly droning stream-of-consciouness nonsense into the PA system.

But. This one might actually be significant, though with microshaft one must always search for the poison in the candy:

Quoting: ...starting today Microsoft will openly publish on MSDN over 30,000 pages of documentation for Windows client and server protocols that were previously available only under a trade secret license...

Microsoft will indicate on its Web site which protocols are covered by Microsoft patents and will license all of these patents on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, at low royalty rates. To assist those interested in considering a patent license, Microsoft will make available a list of specific Microsoft patents and patent applications that cover each protocol...

Microsoft is providing a covenant not to sue open source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of implementations of these protocols. These developers will be able to use the documentation for free to develop products...

Microsoft will document for the development community how it supports such standards, including those Microsoft extensions that affect interoperability with other implementations of these standards. This documentation will be published on Microsoft’s Web site and it will be accessible without a license, royalty or other fee...

There is silver lining in dark clouds and we can make lemonade from lemon.

Even though Microsoft didn't intend it to, I believe this announcement has some good news. Or may be I am day dreaming.

Over the last several years, Microsoft tried to discredit FOSS using ways started by brush off and FUD spreading to law suits by lackeys and IP infringement claims. All of these efforts not only failed miserably, but also backfired by giving FOSS legitimacy and helped it to get more recognition that helped it flourish as a strong contender.

After realizing this fact, Microsoft tried a new approach to some how coexist with FOSS. Their first move was to get FOSS outfits, either by scaring or enticing them, to sign convent agreements on its own terms. The agreements they signed with Novell, Linspire, Xandros, among others, were window openings. When that didn't succeed bringing in beef to sink their teeth into after spending lots of dough, they realized that they have to make a different strategic move. This announcement is a supplemental plan to open a door to work with FOSS directly.

So much for Novell and others in terms of being MS favorites.

So where is the silver lining and how do we make lemonade from lemon!

1- Microsoft is planing to publish some of their technologies along with any patents they encumber. This is what the community has been asking for all along. It will give FOSS developers the chance to determine what patents has prior arts and which can be avoided or removed. The benefit of this is CIOs will be better assured of being less prone to be sued and the risk of being sued for using FOSS will be minimized.

2 - This announcement is an admission by Microsoft that FOSS is here to stay, and Microsoft is adopting to coexist with FOSS but still on its own terms. This is going to play pretty good for FOSS in the enterprise. CEOs/CIOs of Windows only outfits will read into this as a concession to and acceptance of FOSS in their IT operations. So the excuse of being prudent in bringing in FOSS has been substantially weakened if not pretty much removed.

3 – FOSS software already does a pretty good job in inter-operating with Windows without using any Microsoft technologies. If companies want FOSS to connect and mesh with their Windows infrastructure, all they need to do is pay Microsoft for CALs. If they don't wish that, it will become fairly obvious to them that keeping Windows is not a good business, they would need to avoid Windows platform all together and go all pure FOSS infrastructure and paying only during the transition period.

>> 1- Microsoft is planing to publish some of their technologies along with any patents they encumber. This is what the community has been asking for all along.

Yes, and we want a lot of other things too. The problem is with MS giving *partial* strategic information.

The good patents for technology they want to be spread will not be shown.

Same old same old.

>> All in all fairly useless for OSS - it essentially says that microsoft will not sue the hobbyist working in isolation, but the minute anyone tries to do something meaningful with this, ms will use the patent threat to extort payment.

That helps proprietary Linux companies (which can easily make deals with Microsoft at any point in time) since it puts up a wall towards competition with them.

The only problem is that FOSS devs are unlikely to go along.

It may still be good for commercial companies since they may think: OK, some will help out (to scratch itch or to fix upstream issues), but if most don't, we still have Linux corporations working along to keep Microsoft in check.

My problem with these interop docs is that they will be buggy and old by the time we get to them. It's trivial for Microsoft to make changes and hide key material. In some cases, they may help out. For the newer MS technology though I would not waste my time. The next Vista update (and even XP) will change a bunch of these rules and introduce a different set of bugs.

Raise you hand if you want interoperability. OK, well I think what you want is FOSS but perhaps don't know it.