Microsoft pledges interoperability again

The name "Microsoft" and the word "interoperability" generally go together like pigs and wings. Despite this fact, the company has just announced a new interoperability initiative, whereby it will publish protocols and APIs for products like Vista, Office 2007 and Windows Server 2008, allowing for increased interoperability between its products and other software on the market. The company also announced four new "interoperability principles" that it plans to adhere to:

• Ensuring open connections
• Promoting data portability
• Enhancing support for industry standards
• Fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open-source communities.

So, why the sudden change of heart? You'll probably recall that mere months ago Microsoft was threatening to sue anyone who used Linux. Has the company simply seen the writing on the wall and decided to get with the program? Perhaps. However, Mary Jo Foley, the web's foremost Microsoft watchdog, offers up a more cynical take. "Why is Microsoft going through the motions yet again? It's all about next week," Foley writes. "From February 25 to 29, ISO is slated to hold a long-awaited ballot-resolution meeting regarding whether or not Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) document format should be awarded ISO standards status."

For more on the change of heart:
- see this ZDnet article