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Microsoft Releases Specs for Binary Formats

Posted by Zonk on from the thanks-for-the-hand-up dept.

skolima writes "In response to requests for even easier access to the Binary Formats, Microsoft has agreed to remove any intermediate steps necessary to get the documentation. They're going to just post it, making it directly available as a download on the Microsoft web site. Microsoft will also make the Binary Formats subject to its Open Specification Promise by February 15, 2008. They're even planning to include an Open Source converter implementation."

18 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. One month to reconfigure firewalls by ccguy · · Score: 5, Funny
    From the TFA:

    Initiate a (...) Project on the open source software development web site SourceForge The Translator Project will start on February 15, 2008.
    I believe it's quite considerate to give both network teams enough time to unblock each other' IP ranges :-)
  2. Whoops by ProteusQ · · Score: 5, Funny

    And they will even an Open Source converter implementation.


    Yes, I'm they will!
  3. in other news... by AmaDaden · · Score: 5, Funny

    Satan: Why did it just get so cold in here?

    1. Re:in other news... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't know. I'm too busy dodging those stupid flying pigs. Ack! Another one!

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  4. last sentence of summary by BigHungryJoe · · Score: 4, Funny

    And they will even an Open Source converter implementation

    i find myself doing this all the time at work now, and it's embarrassing. I leave entire words out of emails, IMs, etc. I never used to do that. I must be getting old.

    Many times, I'll leave out a negating word, like "not", causing me to communicate the wrong idea.

    1. Re:last sentence of summary by Locutus · · Score: 4, Funny

      what's worst is when you proof read it before hitting the [send] button and only after seeing it in another form do you see you once again you out another word. Yup, the brain does funny things to us.

      LoB

      --
      "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
  5. Woohoo! by MisterSquirrel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow! It sounds like Microsoft has seen the light! It's only a matter of time now before they start giving away all their software for free.

    1. Re:Woohoo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      About time. I have for years been giving away all their software for free. ;-)

  6. I'm definitely trolling this time by jgarra23 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and since this is slashdot, it's not good enough until they've also:

    1. refunded all money earned through use of these formats
    2. allow people to fork them and then demand that their idiot-forks get recombined into the trunk and incorporated into MS Office 09
    3. #2 isn't good enough, Microsoft must even make sure that they are in the next release of OO even though they have nothing to do with that product
    4. Clipart of Steve Ballmer throwing chairs is included
    5. it is released under the GPLv3 license
    6. the EU gets to fine them another trillion euros (with a lower-case e) for every day since 1980 that the formats have not been open
    7. none of the above points matter because Microsoft sucks anyway and no one @ slashdot uses MS Office, they all use OO (yea, right!)

    so go ahead, mod me down you fuckers.

    1. Re:I'm definitely trolling this time by Dareth · · Score: 5, Funny

      MS did the "Profit!" step first at Step 0.

      --

      I only look human.
      My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
    2. Re:I'm definitely trolling this time by StormReaver · · Score: 4, Funny

      "so go ahead, mod me down you fuckers."

      I would mod you down, but then you would become more powerful than I could possibly imagine.

  7. Re:seeing as its all binary formats by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Funny

    thats just about every file MS Applications and OS creates no ? unless files are saved in plain ini/text/xml/humanreadable format isnt everything else a form of binary ?

    Even plain ini/text/xml etc. is eventually stored as ones and zeros. And I think I saw a 2...

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  8. Re:carrot by Admiral_Grinder · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm sure we will find out in a rude way when we bend over to pick up the carrot.

  9. A gift from Microsoft by dtjohnson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft is releasing the specs for binary document formats. This will help those who want to support and maintain those formats so this is a gift from Microsoft. Fellow residents of Troy, let us be grateful and embrace this great offering.

  10. Re:The important stuff by tritonman · · Score: 5, Funny

    ok, so if it's all binary formats only, does this mean they won't be releasing the specs for the notepad format? I've been waiting for this forever.

  11. Re:seeing as its all binary formats by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't worry, there's no such thing as 2.

  12. Re:The important stuff by MrNemesis · · Score: 5, Funny

    February 15th? Are they merely trying to recruit the programmers who attempted suicide the previous evening on account of not getting lucky?

    "Decoding MS binary formats - it's better than death!" ;)

    --
    Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
  13. Re:The important stuff by hullabalucination · · Score: 4, Funny

    Not to fear. I'm 9eveloping my own open so4rce reverse-engineere9 implementation of the NotePa9 format, calle9 OpenPa9. I estimate that I've got abo4t 96% of the format fig4re9 o4t. As a matter of fact, my post here was compose9 originally in OpenPa9 then copie9 an9 paste9 into the Slash9ot comment s4bmission page.

    * * * * *

    Oh, squi9beaks!