Microsoft's Gates Vows 'Interoperable' Software

Reuters | February 3, 2004 | Reed Stevenson

[HAL9000]

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. adopted a new mantra on Thursday, promising to work harder to make its software work better with other software systems and hardware, Chairman Bill Gates said in an e-mail to customers.

Previously, such e-mails signaled the launch of massive new efforts by the world's largest software company. The last major initiative, to improve the security of the company's software, was launched by Gates three years ago, and most messages since then have focused on that issue.

But in Thursday's lengthy e-mail, sent to major corporate customers and made public by Microsoft, the company said it would boost efforts to make its software work more smoothly, or "interoperate" with other existing technologies.

"Over the years, our industry has tried many approaches to come to grips with the heterogeneity of software," Gates said, "But the solution that has proven consistently effective -- and the one that yields the greatest success for developers today -- is a strong commitment to interoperability."

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, and other software makers have in the past encouraged information technology departments to adopt complete packages of software technologies as a way to cut costs and streamline their businesses.

But Gates said tighter IT budgets and efforts to create more compatible software standards were pushing companies to find ways to make existing systems work better together, rather than investing in new software products.

Pressure from customers to create more compatible software helped nudge Microsoft toward a $2 billion settlement with Sun Microsystems Inc.'s last year. Sun and other major software vendors such as Oracle Corp. have also pushed for software interoperability in recent years.

"Wholesale replacement of existing technologies is a tough sell for most organizations," Gates said. "They simply have too much invested in a variety of systems from any number of vendors."

Microsoft is also facing competition from Linux and other software that can be copied and modified freely. Proponents of such software say its flexible distribution makes it easier to design to work with other software.

Gates argued, however, that open source software encourages the proliferation of different software systems, making it harder to integrate them with other proprietary systems.

Many Microsoft products already work with other non-Microsoft products, and the company will build more interoperability into the design of its products, Gates said.

Microsoft also launched a Web site devoted to interoperability at www.microsoft.com/interop.

"The Internet is perhaps the most obvious example of this kind of interoperability, where any piece of software can connect and exchange data as long as it adheres to the key protocols," Gates said.

[HAL9000]

If Microsoft makes a sincere and competent effort to comply with open industry standards, and opens access to their protocols and file format specifications, that would be a positive development.

But given their track record as a convicted monopolist, and the bureaucratic paralysis that infests Microsoft, there is a lot of doubt about their commitment to interoperability.

For years, they've claimed to be committed to improving the security of their software, but so far, their results have been poor. The flood of Windows worms, viruses and spyware is a testament to Microsoft's technical incompetence and lack of commitment to their customers' security.

In any case, this announcement is just another sign that Microsoft's stranglehold on the computer industry is on the decline.

The text of the Gates letter is published here.

[Sundog]

Interoperable viruses is about all he promised.

[Red Badger]

I would settle for OPERABLE SOFTWARE......

[jwalburg]

Oh. I read that headline as Inoperable Software

[Drango]

Chairman Bill Gates said in an e-mail to customers.

I didn't get no stinkin' email.

[evolved_rage]

Don't forget interoperable hacker tools.

[flashbunny]

Me too. Then I thought "Hey, they already make that!"

[Bacon Man]

I'm not buyin it. The last thing Gates wants is to make the competition work better.

[SpaceBar]

What Bill really means is that all Windows security holes will someday be non-OS system specific and network transparent.

[OpusatFR]

I thought it read "Inoperable" at first glance.

Freudian slip, I suppose.

[NonValueAdded]

Oh. I read that headline as Inoperable Software

Yes, Updated headline:

"Microsoft Delivers Inoperable Software
When challenged, Bill Gates claims he was misquoted."

[Uncle Fud]

"Microsoft delivers Inoperable Software-

90% of script kiddies disagree...."

[ccmay]

Gates, I don't want your crapware anywhere near my hardware and software. I have work to do. Keep your frail, insecure, bloated $#!t well away.

-ccm

[Prost1]

Another Microsoft post. Great, I can use one of my favorite lines....

Microsoft - Mediocre Products by Design!

[FastCoyote]

Dear Bill: Is it April First already? My how time flies.

I'm getting ready to crank up a new FreeBSD box for myself, I've been putting it off, but the handwriting on the wall gets clearer every day. Longhorn and DRM are only a year away.

[Nick Danger]

this announcement is just another sign that Microsoft's stranglehold on the computer industry is on the decline.

Well, for sure what it means is that the Microsoft salesmen are hearing entirely too much of, "I can't bring your stuff in here. You guys make it too hard to integrate with what I already have."

That means they've already plucked all the low-hanging fruit in the UNIX shops and they are stalled; if they want any more, they are going to have to learn to play nice with others.

It'll be interesting to see how they fashion their "interoperability" strategy so that it's a trap-door function that only works one way. If they don't do that, they could start losing some of the share they already have. With linux gaining ground as it is, Microsoft no longer has the "cheap x86 box" horse all to itself. That was the primary reason they were gaining share, and that's over for them now.

[Obadiah]

I would settle for OPERABLE SOFTWARE......

Bigtime!

How about releasing software that isn't bloated, a system hog, and riddled with bugs! (And it's not just MS!)

[pickemuphere]

"All your bases are belong to us."

[cinives]

LOL so did I !!

[rawhide]

"Microsoft's Gates Vows 'Interoperable' Software"

WhenI first read the title, I thought it said 'inoperable software'.
I thought, 'Huh?'