Microsoft is behind schedule in complying with a court
order to document its proprietary communications protocols,
according to US authorities monitoring its behaviour.
It also plans to release the documents in a file format that
cannot be annotated and can only be used with Microsoft's Internet
Explorer browser, the authorities said in a report published on 8
October.
Microsoft has agreed to review the documentation format and
suggest alternatives within 60 days.
The report, which was written with the plaintiffs in the US
government's anti-trust case against the company, is one of a
series requested regularly by the US District Court for the
District of Columbia to monitor Microsoft's compliance with the
final judgment in the anti-trust case.
The judgment requires Microsoft to document and license its
software communications protocols and to revise the terms under
which it licenses its Windows operating system to PC makers.
In July, Microsoft said it would complete revisions of the
documentation required by the court in the autumn, but may now have
to extend work on a beta or test version of the new documentation
into December.
The plaintiffs have three main areas of concern about the
documentation.
Microsoft, asked to open up and document the interfaces to its
communication protocols for licensees, has chosen to issue the
documentation in a rights-protected file format called MHT,
readable only with Internet Explorer. This means licensees can not
annotate or effectively search the information
Microsoft defended its choice, saying it had put "very
substantial effort" into converting all the documentation into MHT
format because it can handle large documents and can secure the
documentation. Microsoft said it has published the specification
for MHT and it offers a free software development toolkit for the
digital rights management system, enabling anyone to develop a new
software application to decode and read the files using another
browser.
The plaintiffs also questioned the completeness and accuracy of
the documentation, saying it was of the utmost importance that
Microsoft address the issue over the next 60 days.
Finally, the plaintiffs highlighted the complex and error-prone
system for distributing the documentation over the internet.
Microsoft has agreed to send the documentation to licensees on CD
or DVD.
Microsoft has agreed to continue working on the documentation to
meet the plaintiffs' concerns, even after this round of
improvements is complete.
The company now has 19 licensees for its communications
protocols.
The plaintiffs also raised continuing concerns about other
Microsoft licences.
When Microsoft licenses PC makers to install Windows on machines
they manufacture, it often grants them a discount to provide them
with funds to help with their marketing.
At the request of the plaintiffs, Microsoft has agreed to
clarify in its Market Development Agreement that advertisements for
PCs sold without Windows need not include its tagline, and that PCs
sold with more than one operating system, including a non-Microsoft
operating system, may also include language recommending other
operating systems.
Contracts for Microsoft's .NET Framework require that licensees
ask Microsoft for permission before publishing benchmark testing
results for the framework. The plaintiffs asked Microsoft to change
it. Microsoft agreed to modify it to require only prior notice from
licensees of their intent to publish, so that it can attempt to
reproduce the results itself.
Peter Sayer writes for IDG News Service