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The Microsoft Office Interoperability team on Monday announced that it would make the Outook .PST file format – which stores email, calendar entries, and contacts – accessible to third-party developers. The move means that other software, both on the client and on servers, will be able to access and manipulate the data using any programming language. Significantly, it will also mean that the actual Outlook program, part of the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software, will not need to be installed. The team intends to fully document how data is stored, how to access it, and the actual structure of the PST file.
It's worth noting, however, that Microsoft has merely stated its intent to open the PST format, and not provided a timeframe in which it will do so.
"This documentation is still in its early stages and work is ongoing. We are engaging directly with industry experts and interested customers to gather feedback on the quality of the technical documentation to ensure that it is clear and useful," Paul Lorimer, group manager of Microsoft Office Interoperability wrote in a blog post. "When it is complete, it will be released under our Open Specification Promise, which will allow anyone to implement the .pst file format on any platform and in any tool, without concerns about patents, and without the need to contact Microsoft in any way."
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It's worth noting, however, that Microsoft has merely stated its intent to open the PST format, and not provided a timeframe in which it will do so.
"This documentation is still in its early stages and work is ongoing. We are engaging directly with industry experts and interested customers to gather feedback on the quality of the technical documentation to ensure that it is clear and useful," Paul Lorimer, group manager of Microsoft Office Interoperability wrote in a blog post. "When it is complete, it will be released under our Open Specification Promise, which will allow anyone to implement the .pst file format on any platform and in any tool, without concerns about patents, and without the need to contact Microsoft in any way."
Read On
