The secrets of Windows’ proprietary file-sharing protocols will be pried open for the Samba open-source project, thanks to an agreement between Microsoft and the Protocol Freedom Information Foundation made on Thursday. The information should allow stable, reliable file sharing between Windows and Linux and Unix computers without forcing programmers to jump through hoops to enable it.
Samba’s software has made it this inter-OS file-sharing possible since 1992 with clever workarounds, but like a nurse shark swimming alongside a great white, the project was subject to the whims of Microsoft. According to Dana Blankenhorn, Microsoft could disable compatibility by shifting protocols, and the company always faced the possibility of lawsuits from Microsoft for patent infringement. The new deal eliminates both threats.
The PFIF paid $15,000 for the necessary documentation, which it then passed along to Samba’s developers. While they are free to create open-source code that uses the information, they cannot directly share the documentation with others, under the agreement made with Microsoft.
For those wondering why Microsoft would choose to enhance interoperability with an operating system it sees as an imminent threat, the answer is exactly what you expected: it was legally compelled to. The software giant’s last antitrust suit with the European Union forced it to release interoperability information for a fee, which it was merely complying with by working with the PFIF.
