In its continuous effort to get the European Commission off its back, Microsoft has confirmed this week that it will be publishing the specifications of the .pst file format which is used to store Outlook data. Currently .pst files can only be accessed if Outlook is installed and that is just one of the interoperability issues the EC is concerned about.
By publishing the format's specs, Microsoft will enable customers and developers to access the data in .pst files on a variety of platforms.
According to Paul Lorimer, Group Manager, Microsoft Office Interoperability, the .pst documentation is "its early stages," but, once done, will be offered under the Open Specification Promise, which allows anyone to implement the file format on "any platform and in any tool, without concerns about patents, and without the need to contact Microsoft in any way." Viva la revolucion!
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