Microsoft offers lashings of source code to licensees

Microsoft has offered to make its Windows server source code available to people licensing its server interoperability protocols, in its latest attempt to achieve compliance with 2004's European antitrust ruling.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said on Wednesday that anyone licensing information about its server protocols will also be able to see how Microsoft has implemented the protocols.

He said: "The source code is the DNA of Windows server operating systems. We are licensing it to our direct competitors so they can learn from it when creating their implementations of our protocols."

Microsoft has already offered to provide 12,000 pages of technical documentation and 500 hours of technical support to companies that wish to implement its server interoperability protocols, according to Smith. He said Microsoft was not obliged to provide the source code but decided to, despite the fact it is "very valuable".

In December 2005 the European Commission said that the instructions that Microsoft had submitted for server interoperability were "incomplete and inaccurate" and said that it may impose a fine of up to €2m (£1m) per day if Microsoft did not provide complete documentation by 25 January.

Earlier this week, Microsoft was given an extra three weeks before a decision would be made over its compliance. If it fails, it will once again face the threat of a massive fine.

The European Commission could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.

Ingrid Marson writes for ZDNet UK