Monday, 7 February 2005

Microsoft's Promises 'Interoperable' Software

Bill Gates, in an e-mail to Microsoft customers, promised to work harder to make its software work better with other software systems and hardware. Previously, such e-mails signalled 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. However, in the latest e-mail, the company said it would boost efforts to make its software work more smoothly, or "interoperate" with other existing technologies.

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