The EU has accused Microsoft of dragging its feet
Microsoft has said it will allow rival software companies access to license parts of the source code for its Windows operating system.
The concession was made in response to a 2004 European Commission anti-trust ruling, which ordered the company to be more open to competitors' needs.
It came three weeks ahead of the EU's compliance deadline, which threatened fines of 2m euros (£1.4m; $2.4m) a day.
The commission said it was not sure the offer would help resolve the dispute.
Microsoft's legal chief, Brad Smith insisted "the source code is the ultimate documentation.
"It should have the answer to any questions that remain."
But competition commissioner Neelie Kroes disagreed.
"Normally speaking, the source code is not the ultimate documentation of anything," she said.
source/full story: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4649348.stm
Microsoft has said it will allow rival software companies access to license parts of the source code for its Windows operating system.
The concession was made in response to a 2004 European Commission anti-trust ruling, which ordered the company to be more open to competitors' needs.
It came three weeks ahead of the EU's compliance deadline, which threatened fines of 2m euros (£1.4m; $2.4m) a day.
The commission said it was not sure the offer would help resolve the dispute.
Microsoft's legal chief, Brad Smith insisted "the source code is the ultimate documentation.
"It should have the answer to any questions that remain."
But competition commissioner Neelie Kroes disagreed.
"Normally speaking, the source code is not the ultimate documentation of anything," she said.
source/full story: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4649348.stm
