After the EU required Microsoft to share some of their documentation on printer/file sharing in 2004 and losing their appeal in September 2007, Microsoft finally got around to doing it, according to ZDNet. The Samba project gave Microsoft almost $15,000 for the documentation they needed from Microsoft to ensure interoperability with Windows on printer and file sharing, which will be given to them through the Protocol Freedom Information Foundation. Samba is the project that makes file and printer sharing with Windows computers possible.

Although it is frustrating that Microsoft cannot just make the required documentation available, now that the Samba team does have the documentation and is allowed to release the code they write based on it so other projects can use their implementation (the documentation itself will remain confidential), the important thing is that from now on Samba and other open-source projects will be able to create software that is fully compatible with Microsoft software.

Further Reading: Samba News Story, CNET News Story

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