Does Microsoft get Interoperability?

Matt Deacon — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 20:06:00 GMT

Working in the Architect space interoperability is never far from your door especially given the advances in communications, performance etc.

I had the great fortune to meet up with an co-host a round table with the legendary Jean Paolo, GM Jean Paoli, General Manager Interoperability and XML Architecture, and Thomas Robertson, General Manager, Standards with several members of the IT Press.

It was a highly enlightening session that went through the great strides that Microsoft has made to ensure that interoperability is centre stage in all that the organisation does.

Thomas started by identifying four characteristics for incorporating interoperability within Microsoft:

1. Building it into the products from the ground up. An obvious starting point but nonetheless fundamental.

2. Collaboration with customers, partners and competitors to ensure interoperability

3. Open Access to technology through three primary vehicles

a. Commercial licensing enabling partners to develop against technologies at an early stage

b. Community programs to build awareness and exposure

c. Open specification program where formats such as VHD, WS are placed.

4. Standardisation

In June 2006 Microsoft launched the Interoperability Executive Customer Council.

In September 2006 the Open Specification program was launched

In November the Interoperability Vendor Alliance was established.

In December the ECMA Open XML Specification was successfully ratified.

This really demonstrates what an organisation can really do once it takes interoperability to the heart of the organisation as has happened at Microsoft.

However, this is where things got interesting; we had hit the central issue which I guess was on everyone’s mind; this being the recent issues regarding the submission of the Open XML standard to the ISO by Ecma and the concerns that have been raised given the existence of the Open Document Format (ODF).

There is much already out on the web on this and it was good to hear some of the issues first hand. The web is beautiful in many ways but in so far as being able to generate mistruths it is quite amazing.

The discussion was quite wider ranging covering the issues in date formats and language issues that simply prove not to be real issues at all. All the way through to some of the differences and features of Open XML such as custom data, language support and long term preservation of old document formats for example.

This is a major area of debate where Microsoft and it’s concerted efforts around openness and interoperability are genuinely without reproach. It has answered the governments of the world criticisms by providing a rich, open, flexible format for its documents. It has sought standardisation through the appropriate consultation channels only to find its way barred due to the persistent lobbying of some individuals whose objectives are anti-competitive in the extreme.

The next 5 months will prove to be an interesting period where the standards processes and the standards bodies set to represent them will be thoroughly tested I have no doubt. And my recommendation is to explore the issues yourself to determine the rights and wrongs however, it is not sufficient to prevent a specification purely on technical grounds. These issues as always can be resolved.

For more information on the www.microsoft.com/interop is the starting place to gain information relating to the Microsoft position along with the open letter from Jean and Thomas that they recently issued entitled Interoperability, Choice and Open XML.

Matt Deacon's digestive blog : Open XML

Does Microsoft get Interoperability?