This is actually my team at Microsoft's project. Obviously cannot reveal any insider info, but let me give my personal take just from how it goes back and forth in the news. I'm liberal, anti-corporate, and pro-open-source, and I believe the EU is way off in how harsh they're being.
Just as the latest example how much good faith Microsoft has tried to show to these guys -- (...and why wouldn't it be sincere? Would you government issues to be a problem or in the news?) -- MSFT has started GIVING THIS INFORMATION AWAY:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc203350.aspx (Ballmer fanfare:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/interoperability/default.mspx )
That's right, folks. Want to know how SMB really REALLY works? (Samba, I'm lookin' at you!) HERE:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc212363.aspx
Gosh, I sure wish I could make a Linux server that could operate inside a Windows domain! But first I would need to know how Local Security Authority works, and what the heck they did to Kerberos... Oh wait.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc207038.aspx and
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc206927.aspx seem to tell me exactly that.
Screw MSFT, man. They won't share how they stream Windows Media files, so Apache can't even buffer .wmvs! Buhhhh, oh, huh?
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc251059.aspx
Man, Microsoft never adheres to any standards. They even extended DHCP - and didn't tell anyone what they did!! Oh wait, yeah they did:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc202583.aspx
Can't talk about anything that isn't out on the web already for you to read, but in my personal view, there is a difference between enforcing antitrust concerns and using the court to weaken or attack your competitor. When you look at who is showing the good faith here, I think the case is pretty clear.
One thing I can say: I believe we've worked really hard putting these docs together and making them use langauge/standards that the non-Microsoft world can use and understand, and that we
are trying.
