Feb 26, 2008 | Michael Oglesby
Last week, in a surprise move, Microsoft announced Open Access to Protocol Documentation[microsoft.com]. Microsoft is releasing their protocol technical specifications for interoperability with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Exchange, and others. This means third party and open source software will be able to "talk" directly with Windows components that had previously been closed to them. This is quite a change for Microsoft, who until now kept their protocols propriety, forcing vendors to reverse-engineer the protocols. This should result in greater support between open source products and Windows. I hope other companies follow Microsoft's lead.