Interoperability by Design - Connecting people, data and diverse systems.
(Products, Community, Access & Standards)
I. Products:
Novell extending to Windows management: An Internetnews.com article reports how Novell, a well-known Linux vendor and Microsoft partner, has ambitions to become a Windows management vendor. Recently the company released ZENworks Configuration Management, a multi-OS tool that enables patch, policy and endpoint security management on both Windows and Linux. This tool also incorporates technology from security vendor Senforce, which Novell acquired on recently.
II. Community:
Massachusetts Includes Open XML and ODF in State Policy
Massachusetts' revised Enterprise Technical Reference Model 4.0 (ETRM) now includes ECMA 376 Office Open XML (Open XML) and OASIS ODF 1.1 (ODF). Massachusetts has opted for choice of open, XML-based document formats by including both standards in its ETRM. As part of a public statement state representatives note that "Massachusetts is the first state to adopt a policy encouraging open, XML-based document formats. The Commonwealth has set the stage for a new and innovative way to ensure state government operates most efficiently and effectively for its citizens." Read more on Doug Mahugh's blog.
British Library Support for Open XML
British Library presentation on Open XML—Adam Farquhar of the British Library outlines the importance of Open XML and why the British Library cares about it for long term archival of documents. Both the British Library as well as the US Library of Congress played a key role in the Open XML standardization at Ecma. They brought forward key issues that were important to the Library and Archival community.
III. Access:
1. Interop enabled by Microsoft Protocol Programs helps VBrick’s sales to grow over 50%
VBrick Systems showcases the benefits of Microsoft Protocol Programs. According to Bruce Webber, VBrick’s VP Engineering, “Our relationship with Microsoft has broadened the available market for our digital video solutions. Today many organizations are looking to implement live and on-demand video systems in order to reduce costs, increase productivity, and communicate more effectively. Windows Media-based systems offer a high quality video solution for these organizations.” To read more about the VBrick’s experience or download the case study, click here.
2. Microsoft and Xandros expand protocol licensing collaboration
Microsoft and Linux platform provider Xandros announced Tuesday a licensing and collaboration agreement that enables Scalix e-mail servers to better interoperate with Microsoft and others.
a. Microsoft, Xandros target mobile e-mail
b. Xandros, Microsoft Make Scalix Mail Server Exchange Friendly
By licensing the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol and the Outlook Exchange Transport Protocol, Scalix Mail Servers can now synchronize data over wireless networks with Microsoft Exchange Server as well as various email clients that use these and other Microsoft protocols. This agreement, an expansion of the ongoing Microsoft-Xandros collaboration announced June 2007, demonstrates how protocol-level collaboration can benefit customers who rely on a mix of Windows-based and Linux systems. “The expansion of our agreement with Xandros is a strong example of how collaboration through intellectual property licensing can foster innovation that benefits the overall ecosystem,” Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft’s vice president of Intellectual Property and Licensing
3. Microsoft licenses audio watermarking technology to local company
Microsoft announced Wednesday it is licensing an audio watermarking technology to Seattle-based Activated Content Corp., a leading digital technology and application services company in the audio watermarking industry. The agreement enables Activated Content to insert and extract non-secure data into and from audio files, allowing the company to expand its offerings within the fast-growing area of audio watermarking in the entertainment, advertising and telephony industries. “We are excited about this agreement with Activated Content because they are uniquely positioned to extend this audio watermarking technology to new emerging applications and we feel great about supporting the development of a company based in our own backyard,” Louis Carbonneau, Microsoft’s general manager of the Intellectual Property Licensing Group, told CNet News.
4. Microsoft Shared Source licenses are now in OSI’s hands
On August 9, Microsoft made good on its promise to submit its Shared Source licenses to the Open Source Initiative for consideration as certified open-source licenses comments Mary Jo Foley on Microsoft’s decision to submit two of its Shared Source licenses to the Open Source Initiative. CBROnline and eWeek also report on the news, with CBROnline citing comments from Microsoft's source program director, Jon Rosenberg and eWeek referencing comments from Bill Hilf.
Both licenses have been in use since late 2005, when the Free Software Foundation Europe noted that they appeared to satisfy the four freedoms that define Free Software.
In order to be approved by the OSI the licenses will not only have to be fulfill the 10-point Open Source Definition but also be sufficiently different from existing OSI-approved licenses to avoid license proliferation.While the approvals process is still in the initial stages, early feedback to both licenses on the OSI's license discuss mailing list over the weekend was overwhelmingly positive.
IV. Standards:
MS Exchange Server team joins CalConnect : This week Microsoft’s Exchange Server team joined the CalConnect forum.
CalConnect is a Consortium that is focused on the interoperable exchange of calendaring and scheduling information between dissimilar programs, platforms, and technologies. The Consortium's mission is to promote general understanding of and provide mechanisms to allow interoperable calendaring and scheduling methodologies, tools and applications to enter the mainstream of computing. CalConnect technical working groups work on revising and extending existing IETF RFCs and drafts and creating new work to be submitted to IETF.
