Microsoft opens Windows and Office codes

The main headline of the day at CNews was the message that yesterday, February 21, Microsoft representatives announced the discovery of the source codes of their software products, including Windows Vista and Office 2007 . According to the owners of Microsoft themselves, such a move would contribute to a tighter integration of the corporation’s developments with software products of other developers. The company also declares its intention to work closely with the Open-Source community and launch a separate online forum for users. According to Vesti, thousands of pages of documentation will be published on the Microsoft website over the coming weeks. Now more than 30 thousand pages are available.

The discovery of the source code of all software interfaces, communication protocols and documentation is aimed at eliminating the "discrimination" of third-party software developers, one way or another interacting with the most common products from Microsoft. The following product codes will be available: Windows Vista (including the .NET Framework), Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007 and Office SharePoint Server 2007, as well as all future versions of these developments.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated:
“Our goal is to provide improved interaction between software, to give consumers and developers the right of choice. We will make our products more open by providing more data about them . ” He also noted that this decision will not have a significant impact on the company's revenues.

AR Communications consultant Carmi Levy commented on this decision with humor:
“This statement is akin to the fact that McDonalds has published a recipe for its specialty. The company is ready to move to a completely new business model. ”
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Meanwhile, representatives of the European Commission are very skeptical about this step: “The European Commission welcomes any steps towards the compatibility of products. However, the Commission notes that this statement has already become at least the fifth in a row. Previously, Microsoft has already stated four times about software compatibility. ”

Source: CNews