Microsoft Corporation said Thursday it would share more information about key technology elements of some of its best-selling software products to increase interoperability of its software with that of competitors and customers. The world's biggest software maker said it will publish on its website key software blueprints, known as application program interfaces, to make it easier for its high-volume products to be used with third-party software. The company said it will not make software developers obtain a license or pay royalties or other fees, and it said it would not sue open-source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of those software secrets. Thursday's announcement reflects Microsoft's hope to make it easier for software developers to create products that work well with the Vista computer operating system, Office word processing application, and other key Microsoft products. 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. Rival Google Incorporated has been successful in encouraging software developers to make add-ons for Google's maps and other popular services. Google is increasingly challenging Microsoft's dominance in software products.
