Microsoft moves to make Windows more compatible for competitors

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 20 Jan 2004 at 14:58

Microsoft will announce new terms for Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP) to encourage more companies to sign up to the scheme, including much shorter licences, offering two dozen protocols royalty free and easier access to technical data for prospective licensees.

Microsoft has been spurred into action because of concerns that MCPP, an initiative to help the company comply with terms in the antitrust settlement, was not being well received.

In a status report filed by Microsoft and the plaintiffs in the antitrust case last Friday, the latter expressed concerns that the program is 'overly complex', and still fails its goal of 'ensuring that competing, non-Microsoft server products... will have the same access to and ability to interoperate with Windows... as do Microsoft's server operating systems.'

While Microsoft made changes such as cutting licence costs since the last status report in October, MCPP has signed up just three new licencees, bringing the total to a rather meagre 11. Microsoft says it is in discussion with 20 other companies interested in the program.

The plaintiffs, however, are concerned that of these 11, three already had a similar agreement with Microsoft to gain access to the technologies they needed, and two licences were signed on the basis of 'developing broader relationships with Microsoft.' For example, SCO signed up to the program but in conjunction with Microsoft taking out a Unix licence from SCO for several million dollars.

The plaintiffs are also worried about the rather narrow scope of products being developed through the program: six of the 11 licencees are focussed on building products using Media Streaming licences. The plaintiffs assert that the products currently in development 'are not likely to spur the emergence of broad competitors to the Windows desktop,' reads the report.

The report reveals that Microsoft will also change the 'Shop for Music Online' feature in Windows XP to launch the user's default browser, whatever that nay be. Previously it had launched IE exclusively.

However, a Microsoft spokesperson said that this change was made 'for business reasons'. 'While we do not think the Shop for Music Online feature was a violation of the consent decree, we are pleased that the changes we will be making also address government concerns regarding this feature. The Consent Decree requires that Windows launch the user's "default" browser in most cases. However the decree also provides that Windows can be designed to take advantage of unique innovations in its own Web browsing software (and thus not launch the default browser) in cases where the default browser wouldn't work properly.'