It’s funny, last night I read this reuters article about Microsoft beginning an initiative to improve their interoperability and thought wow that’s excellent!  I bet Slashdot completely misses the point of the message and rants on about how Bill Gates also mentioned that opensource doesn’t necessarily lead to interoperability.  Sure enough, Bill Gates Claims Linux Has Poor Interoperability.  Sigh.

Gates of course is right – there are plenty of open source products out there that aren’t interoperable in one way or another.   Further, while Linux systems generally adhere to standard network protocols well, they have an abysmal track record of interoperability on the same system.  The best example of this would be the lack of robust drag and drop support.

Where predefined standards exist, open source software generally follows them very well.  Where predefined standards don’t exist, open source software typically struggles to agree on a new standard.

Far more important than the typical marketing debates going on between the Microsoft and Linux camps (both of which are happily spreading falsehoods about the other) is the fact that Microsoft is going to focus on improving their interoperability.  That should be applauded, not criticized.  Sure it came along with a shot at Linux but that’s what happens when there’s competition.  The response from Linux advocates should be “we applaud Microsoft’s decision to improve interoperability and are proud that the determined efforts of open source projects have driven them to this point”.  In other words, applaud the good thing that Microsoft is doing and then tag along your own marketing hype with that response.  Don’t just run around like a spoiled child who has just been rebuked.