Microsoft later today will present itself as a kinder, gentler software maker. The company is expected to announce a broad change in its development policies.

The Register has obtained information out of Europe that Microsoft will open up all of its APIs and protocols around the companies' major products such as the Windows operating system and SQL Server. In addition, Microsoft will vow to be more open about its standards body work and more willing to let users move their data from Microsoft-based products to rival code.

All of the major Microsoft brass will be on hand to provide more details, including CEO Steve Ballmer, chief lawyer Brad Smith, server SVP Bob Muglia and chief software architect Ray Ozzie

Microsoft's policies around its APIs have long been a point of controversy, cropping up during the company's anti-trust trial and in repeated gripes from rivals and customers. ®

Related stories

• Azure new future for Microsoft's Muglia (7 January 2009)
• Can Microsoft 'do' open source by 2015? (19 May 2008)
• Microsoft reveals its database for the cloud (10 March 2008)
• Mix 08 'Fuzzy' royalties policies challenge Microsoft's open API pledge (7 March 2008)
• Attack of the Leap Year Babies III Microsoft officially 425 years behind the times (4 March 2008)
• Microsoft picks Exchange and Sharepoint for the online draft (4 March 2008)
• Update 3 Hotmail dies on both sides of the Atlantic (26 February 2008)
• Apache daddy walks out on OpenSolaris (22 February 2008)
• Microsoft frees up virtualization spec (24 October 2007)
• Stob Unhelpful Microsoft help denies helpless millions help (8 March 2007)
• MS Vista worth $40bn to EC economies (14 September 2006)