Microsoft spills some API beans

SOFTWARE AND MARKETING giant Microsoft has released a raft of detail about middleware used in its operating systems as parts of a settlement with the US DoJ and the nine states.

But it said on a Web page that most of the application program interfaces (APIs) in its OSes are already documented in software developers kits it has made available.

Neverthless, there are "a few hundred" undocumented interfaces used by middleware components and it is these details which it has made available. Microsoft has also had teams of technical writers document the calls and interfaces.

Interest will focus on Microsoft's component object module, and also the Direct X functions it has made available, as well as the messaging and collaboration APIs.

There are also a heap of user interface functions and resources that will be of interest to programmers.

Microsoft is expected to announce its service pack fixes for Windows XP in the next couple of days. Now if we could only find our 25-digit product code numbers... µ

Microsoft page listing programming calls and functions.