Microsoft wants to improve interoperability. Really?

Aside from “hustling” Yahoo, software giant Microsoft wants to shed away its monopolistic practices by promoting interoperability. Today, it promised to be extra kind by sharing more technical information about its products and technology to help outside developers create solutions compatible with its Vista operating system and other key products.

On top of that, software developers need not pay any license or royalty fees. The additional technical information will be published on Microsoft’s Interoperability site. In essence, these are the 4 interoperability principles that Microsoft will embrace:

1. Ensuring open connections
2. Promoting data portability
3. Enhancing support for industry standards
4. Fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including the open source community

Sounds a little like Google, don’t you think? Apparently, that’s the idea. With Google catching up in the software market, Microsoft does not have much choice but to open up its system and encourage outside developers to participate. On a deeper level, this initiative is also part of the company’s responsibilities and obligations to comply with the EU laws.

Still, the European Union remains skeptical about this sudden change of heart for this is the 4th time Microsoft sang this “openness” song but did not show much commitment.

Read [Microsoft]