Microsoft
Corp. and Linux platform provider Xandros just announces a messaging protocol
license and collaboration agreement that will enhance the interoperability of
Scalix E-Mail servers with various mobile and personal computer-based E-Mail
applications that utilize Microsoft E-Mail protocols. This agreement expands on
the ongoing Microsoft-Xandros collaboration.
Both companies' commitment to protocol licensing and technical cooperation will
help to provide more E-Mail choices and value. By continuing their focus on
mixed-source solutions, Xandros and Microsoft are demonstrating how
protocol-level collaboration can benefit customers who rely on a mix of
Windows-based and Linux systems.
By licensing the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol and the Outlook
Exchange Transport Protocol, Scalix Mail Servers can now synchronize data over
wireless networks with Microsoft Exchange Server as well as various E-Mail
clients including Windows Mobile smartphones that use these and other Microsoft
protocols.
"The expansion of our agreement with Xandros is a strong example of how
collaboration through intellectual property licensing can foster innovation that
benefits the overall IT ecosystem," said Horacio Gutierrez, vice president,
Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft.
"Today's enterprise users 'on the go' employ a plethora of mobile
messaging devices to access a mix of Linux and Windows-based messaging
systems," said Andreas Typaldos, CEO of Xandros. "With the ubiquity of
Windows Mobile -based Smartphones, this agreement will enable us to provide
the same range of Scalix connectivity choices for users of desktop, laptop
and handheld devices that they currently enjoy with Microsoft Exchange. With
this new Scalix interoperability, Microsoft and Xandros enable companies to
freely implement a broad range of proprietary and open systems and devices."
The agreement is focused on two areas of protocol licensing:
- Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Xandros will be given the specification
and documentation license necessary to develop a server-side implementation
of the Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Such implementation would provide
organizations with the ability to enable mobile, "over-the-air" access to
E-Mail messages, calendars, contacts, tasks lists and other mailbox data.
- Outlook-Exchange Transport Protocol. Xandros will be given the
specification and documentation license necessary to develop a server-side
implementation of the Outlook-Exchange Transport Protocol 2007. Such
implementation will provide organization with better mediation options
between client applications and the Scalix Mail Server.
For Xandros, the agreement is another milestone in its strategic vision to
deliver a complete Linux stack, including desktops, servers, Windows-Linux
cross-platform management tools and mission-critical applications, in order to
provide single vendor support for diverse and growing enterprise IT
infrastructures, and to make certain that its stack is interoperable and
integrates within existing customer IT infrastructure ecosystems, for both
platforms, applications and messaging.
For Microsoft, the agreement is the latest in a series of efforts to
encourage the development of interoperable solutions between Microsoft software
and open source software.
Cheers ~ Arne
