In an executive email appearing on Microsoft’s site, Bill Gates talked about his vision for future software interaction and some of the methods he wants to use to arrive there.
Gates’ idea for the scope of future applications made use of the word “Interoperability”. Working to make different types of software work together in the business world is what Gates considers to be crucial to success.
“Whether you are connecting with partners’ systems, accessing data from a mainframe, connecting applications written in different programming languages or trying to log on across multiple systems, bringing heterogeneous technologies together while reducing costs is today a challenge that touches every part of the organization.”
Software compatibility lies at the heart of interoperability. In order to achieve the goals set forth, Gates discussed how a pragmatic approach is necessary. Ensuring compatibility starts with the source code when developing new applications is an important step “focusing solely on adding new layers of middleware that try to make all systems look and act the same, or seeking to make different systems interchangeable.”
One of the methods that Gates touts in his email was developing Web-based technologies based on XML.
“We are working with the industry to define a new generation of software and Web services based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML), which enables software to efficiently share information and opens the door to a greater degree of “interoperability by design” across many different kinds of software.”
Gates touts the self-describing nature of XML when he spoke of future developments. XML-based Internet software is known for being able to interact with non-XML programs with minimal problems. “This approach is also the foundation for XML-based Web services, which provide an Internet-based set of protocols for distributed computing. This new model for how software talks to other software has been embraced across the industry. It is the cornerstone of Microsoft .NET and the latest generation of our Visual Studio tools for software developers.”
Not only were business and vendor-based applications addressed, but also Gates also explicitly mentioned IT management software when he spoke of interoperability. This is another area that he feels will benefit from this type of compatibility.
His long-term goal is to stretch the benefits of interoperability across the entire Microsoft realm.
Read the executive email here.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for murdok. Visit murdok for the latest search news.
