Microsoft Set to Reveal 272 "Hidden" Windows APIs and 113 "Secret" Protocols

Jan. 1, 2000 12:00 AM

(August 9, 2002) - In an announcement made on August 5 by Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel, the Redmond, Washington-based software company said it would release a set of 272 Application Programmer Interfaces (APIs) which are currently hidden within their Windows family of Operating Systems. These APIs are used by Windows to secretly communicate with five applications which currently come "bundled" as a part of Windows. These applications are:

Internet Explorer
Microsoft Messenger
Outlook Express
Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine
Windows Media Player

The APIs will be posted to Microsoft's Developers' Network Web site (http://msdn.microsoft.com) on August 28.

Furthermore, Microsoft disclosed the existence of approximately 113 protocols used by the Windows desktop operating systems to communicate with the Windows server family of operating systems. Vendors who wish to build applications that take advantage of these protocols will be able to license them directly from Microsoft. Pricing will not be made public but will, instead, be disclosed to interested parties upon completion of an NDA with Microsoft.

In addition to the release of these APIs and Protocols, Microsoft expects to ship a service pack for Windows XP before the end of summer. This service pack will allow both OEMs and end-users to completely hide any or all of the five applications mentioned above, if they so desire.

Published Jan. 1, 2000— Reads 7,953
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About Derek Ferguson
Derek Ferguson, founding editor and editor-in-chief of .Net Developer's Journal, is a noted technology expert and former Microsoft MVP.

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