ATLANTA, June 19, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates today announced the Microsoft® Shared Development Process (SDP), a broad framework for industry participation, cooperation and feedback on key technology development initiatives at Microsoft and across the industry. During a keynote delivered today to software developers at the TechEd conference, Gates revealed that the first SDP project will be the definition of an extended set of
“HailStorm”
Web services and issued a call for industry participation in the process.
“As the computing model shifts from standalone applications to constellations of applications, devices and services working together on the user’s behalf, we need a broad framework for working closely with industry partners to solve the next generation of computing challenges,”
said Sanjay Parthasarathy, vice president of Microsoft .NET Platform Strategy at Microsoft.
“The SDP provides Microsoft and partners across the industry with a fast and flexible framework to come together where needed to cooperate on new challenges, and provide us with vital feedback to ensure we are giving partners the tools and technologies they need to be successful in mutually profitable ways.”
Parthasarathy said that the Microsoft SDP formalizes existing mechanisms, such as design previews and reviews, that Microsoft uses to encourage feedback on Microsoft-developed technologies and adds further opportunities for feedback and collaboration on jointly developed technologies. The SDP would provide Microsoft and industry partners with a reusable process that can be initiated and adapted easily and quickly as the need arises for cooperation on a new or existing computing challenge. The framework will provide procedural, technical and legal tools companies can use to work together to achieve a solution that benefits everyone. The SDP is designed with enough flexibility to tailor the process structure to a particular project or challenge, which ensures an easy working environment that can be created quickly, and simplifies participation for partner companies. Examples include the development of XML schemas for the consistent sharing of information across multiple applications and devices within a particular industry, the development of more advanced, next-generation XML Web services built on top of the
“HailStorm”
platform, and industry events such as software design previews and reviews that enable industry partners to get an early look at and provide Microsoft with feedback on key technologies.
The First SDP Project: Extended Services for
“
HailStorm
”
Parthasarathy said that the first project to be run through the SDP will be the cooperative development of an extended set of
“HailStorm”
services:
“Since we announced ‘HailStorm’ in March, we have received an incredible response from across the industry. Companies from a wide variety of industries have expressed interest in additional services that both extend the ‘HailStorm’ model to new areas and work well with the core set of ‘HailStorm’ services. For example, Microsoft has received numerous inquiries about development of ‘HailStorm’ services for travel information, music and video, and other industries that would benefit from common access to information across a variety of applications, devices and services. The SDP will provide the structure we need for broad industry participation in defining and designing services and technology that will drive great business opportunity and success for Microsoft and the industry.”
The Microsoft SDP provides structure, including the following, for the development or extended
“HailStorm”
services:
-
Call for proposals for new
“HailStorm”
extended services -
Creation of SDP working groups
-
Definition and testing of extended
“HailStorm”
services -
Certification of extended
“HailStorm”
services -
Deployment of new services
The SDP process for developing
“HailStorm”
services will undergo a test period this summer, with the establishment of a limited number of new working groups. Microsoft is currently talking to industry partners and accepting input to determine which services will participate in the SDP beta process. In addition to the beta process for extended
“HailStorm”
services, Microsoft has already initiated a SDP process around the dozen core
“HailStorm”
services announced in March 2001. A design preview on these services has already been shared with more than 200 partners who have been providing feedback for
“HailStorm”
development since before it was publicly announced.
SDP as a Vehicle for Industrywide XML Schema
After its test phase, the SDP will be available to serve as a vehicle for industries to come together for the purpose of creating XML conventions relevant to their industries. In many cases, the collaboration and development of these XML schemas will not require direct involvement with Microsoft. Rather, the SDP will simply serve as a framework for participation and a tool set for collaboration with the goal of driving adoption of XML Web services forward for the entire industry.
More detailed information on the SDP process for extended
“HailStorm”
services is available at http://www.microsoft.com/net/whitepapers.asp .
Companies that want to participate in the working groups for
“HailStorm”
extended services or for industry XML schema should send e-mail to [email protected] and will be contacted as groups are formed. Those sending e-mail should include specific contact information, the industry they are in and information on the service they are suggesting.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software –
any time, any place and on any device.
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