Microsoft today announced that they were going to be "opening up" their platform.

Microsoft today announced a set of broad-reaching changes to its technology and business practices to increase the openness of its products and drive greater interoperability, opportunity and choice. These changes are codified into four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions: 1) ensuring open connections; 2) promoting data portability; 3) enhancing support for industry standards; and 4) fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities.

More info here.

My take?

This is a good step in the right direction, even if it’s just talk. It helps address the "Key reason #1″ on the list of reasons why Yahoos won’t work for Microsoft.

To that end, very strategic timing. Could they be trying to make Yahoo employees feel better about their historical anti-open source stance?

With this news Microsoft gets 10 goodness points.