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Microsoft launches the Interoperability Forum

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Microsoft is today announcing the Interoperability Forum – a web-based resource designed to foster open communication, dialogue, and problem-solving about interoperability challenges. The forum is the latest step the delivery of our Interoperability Principles  - our commitment to promote greater interoperability, opportunity and choice across the IT industry of developers, partners, customers and competitors - which were announced in February (see below for more information).

The Forum contains information about what Microsoft is doing in the area of interoperability, and will enable an open dialogue on issues of importance to users and information technology companies.

The Forum is intended to enable an open conversation about interoperability among industry participants and contains three specific topic areas for discussion and collaboration.

  1. Interoperability Conversations – An area in which participants can raise general questions, identify issues or propose solutions about interoperability in the marketplace. Discussions among industry participants on interoperability issues will ultimately help to create solutions that address key issues.
  2. Technical Interoperability Scenarios - A forum to discuss technical interoperability issues and how they can be resolved. Some examples of discussion topics include:   developer tools and runtime; office productivity; systems management; and security and identity management.
  3. Achieving Interoperability Through Standards - One way to achieve interoperability is through the implementation of industry standard technologies. While standards are not the only way to enable interoperability, they are an important part of the conversation. This forum encourages participants to start conversations related to standardizing technologies and implementing standards in products.

About Microsoft's Interoperability Principles

In February, we announced a set of broad-reaching changes to our technology and business practices to increase the openness of our products and drive greater interoperability, opportunity and choice for developers, partners, customers and competitors.

Known as the Interoperability Principles, they encompass four areas across our high-volume business products:

  1. Ensuring open connections
  2. Promoting data portability
  3. Enhancing support for industry standards
  4. Fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities.

These interoperability principles apply to the following high-volume Microsoft products: Windows Vista (including the .NET Framework), Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007, and future versions of all these products.

You can find more details on the Interoperability Principles here.

 

Additional Resources:

  • The Microsoft Interoperability web site [Link]
  • Microsoft and Sourcesense partner to contribute to open source, Apache POI to support Ecma Office Open XML file formats [Link]
  • Microsoft partners with top Social Networks to put users at the centre of their data [Link]
  • Microsoft Expands support for Web standards [Link]
  • Microsoft launches Document Interoperability Initiative [Link]
  • Q&A with Bob Muglia on Microsoft's Interoperability Principles [Link]
  • Sun and Microsoft Expand Investment in Interoperability With New Centre [Link]
  • Microsoft users to "Save as DAISY" [Link]
  • Microsoft expands document interoperability for Scientific and Technical Authors [Link]
  • Q&A with Terry Myerson on connecting Apple iPhone users to Microsoft’s Exchange Server [Link]
  • Microsoft posts XAML Format technical documentation [Download link]
  • Microsoft provides Accessibility Programming Model to industry group devoted to Interoperability and Accessibility [Link]
  • Microsoft and Novell provide Renault with Interoperability [Link]