[antiRepublicrat]

The machine won't matter if Universal Data Access becomes the standard and businesses won't have to pay the costs of "machine access capability" as IBM and others want them to do.

Then why is Microsoft pushing a mail protocol that requires a restrictive license (and therefore rejected by the IETF), and refusing to open up their Office XML format so that everyone can read Office documents? Meanwhile, OpenOffice has a completely open XML file format that can be read by anyone or anything.

[StJacques]

"Then why is Microsoft pushing a mail protocol that requires a restrictive license (and therefore rejected by the IETF), and refusing to open up their Office XML format so that everyone can read Office documents? Meanwhile, OpenOffice has a completely open XML file format that can be read by anyone or anything."

Mail protocols are a different matter than Universal Data Access. I don't know all of the details surrounding this particular issue you raise so I cannot answer in full, except to say that I know that Microsoft is very concerned about the spread of viruses and worms and they are making proposals to restrict their spread, which is what I am guessing -- and it's just a guess -- is involved with the mail protocol issue you raise. You may enlighten me further if you have more details.

On Office XML documents, I will repeat in different language what I wrote above in my post #105. The format for MS Office XML documents is not proprietary because XML is an open standard in and of itself. It is the use of the document which involves proprietary technology. And as for OpenOffice's open XML file format-- good for them. I have no problem with that. But you cannot use an OpenOffice document to the same degree you can one created in Microsoft Office, and I'm talking about the capabilities of the Windows operating systems here, which means that you have to write software to do so. Microsoft gives you the software when you purchase a license to their operating systems. Why shouldn't Microsoft keep that software marketable and not release the APIs for its use? They're the ones who put in the money for its R&D after all.