US DOJ keeping firm eye on Windows 7 and IE 8

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 23 June 2008 09:51

Opinion and Analysis

Given that government scrutiny is something no-one enjoys, and Microsoft has been made to pay millions of dollars in fines by different government authorities around the world, it’s not surprising to see Microsoft making things difficult for its taskmasters while still staying within the bounds of the rules.

Apparently Microsoft’s documentation work has been progressing relatively smoothly, but Microsoft has removed some of the protocols it had covered in previous versions of the document, something the TC had expressly asked Microsoft not to do without consulting the TC first when the same situation had occurred in the past.

The TC has also asked Microsoft to provide a way to easily highlight the differences between each version of the documentation it is supplying, so the TC can quickly see what changes have been made, and what things Microsoft may have removed, as “the absence of version-to-version change information complicates product development”.

The report notes that “Microsoft was receptive to the TC's suggestion and will work with the TC to develop an effective mechanism to track changes to the documentation” but it does sound like someone at Microsoft is playing silly buggers in an attempt to complicate matters for the TC, and the joint report is a way for the TC to give Microsoft a slap.

In addition, while Microsoft used to supply monthly updates, it changed to quarterly updates, which annoyed the TC because of the time-lag, and so Microsoft has agreed to go back to the monthly update schedule.

Microsoft is also developing a list of 19 documents which will appear in draft form in March 2009, with the final versions due in June 2009. These “system documents” will “provide more detailed information on the interaction between the protocols in a number of complex scenarios.”

Microsoft is also making it easier for anyone to get the MCPP technical documentation (for interoperability), removing the need to sign an MCPP license first. Microsoft is also publishing :online a list of the patents and patent applications that it claims apply to each protocol in MCPP and has made available a license for these patents.”

As part of the MCPP interoperability efforts, Microsoft advised that it had held a “file-sharing plug-fest [in] the first week of June 2008.

This event was the largest plug-fest thus far. The following entities attended: Apple, Inc.; SAMBA; SNIA; Sun Microsystems, Inc.; Blue Coat Systems, Inc.; EMC Corporation; Isilon Systems, Inc.; and NetApp. Microsoft received positive feedback on this event. Additionally, Microsoft is planning two plug-fests for later in 2008 (for Media Streaming and Active Directory).

So, the heavy scrutinisation of Microsoft continues unabated, something that clearly isn’t fun. Let’s hope it’s a force for good that results more interoperable, compatible and better versions of Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8 and other Microsoft software for all who want to use it.