Microsoft to open up some key software blueprints

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday that it would make key technology elements of some of its best-selling software products widely available to boost interoperability of its software with that of competitors and customers.

To make connecting Microsoft products with third-party software products easier, Microsoft will publish on its Web site key software blueprints, known as application program interfaces, pertaining to its high-volume products used by other Microsoft products.

Microsoft also pledged not to sue open-source developers for development or noncommercial distribution of those software blueprints.

In January, the European Commission launched new antitrust investigations into Microsoft to see whether the company broke competition rules to help its Web browser and its Office and Outlook products.

 

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Morgan Stanley Hires Kenneth deRegt to New Role Overseeing Risk

(Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley, the second-biggest U.S. securities firm by market value, hired Kenneth deRegt to a new position in the office of the chairman, where he will oversee risk management and internal controls.

 

DeRegt, who worked at Morgan Stanley for 20 years before joining Aetos Capital in 2002, will start on Feb. 25 and join the firm's management committee, according to an internal memo today from John Mack, Morgan Stanley's chief executive officer. The contents of the memo were confirmed by Mark Lake, a spokesman in New York.

 

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Microsoft to Change Technology Practices in Bid to Appease EU

 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software maker, announced a series of changes in its technology and in how much information it gives developers about its products, in a bid to satisfy European regulators.

 

Read more at Bloomberg