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

Specifically, Microsoft is implementing four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions across its high-volume business products:

1. ensuring open connections;
2. promoting data portability;
3. enhancing support for industry standards; and
4. fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities.

A must read - for complete details refer to http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/feb08/02-21ExpandInteroperabilityPR.mspx