As first reported by CNET blogger Ina Fried, Microsoft announced 4 new interoperability principles of its future software. They include ensuring open connections, promoting data portability, enhancing support for industry standards and fostering open discussions with customers and the industry, the company said.

Microsoft sees the move as a strategic change to its technology and business practices to increase the openness of its products.

"These steps represent an important step and significant change in how we share information about our products and technologies," said Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer. "Our goal is to promote greater interoperability, opportunity and choice for customers and developers throughout the industry by making our products more open and by sharing even more information about our technologies," he said.

Ballmer was joined by other top executives, such as Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie, server and tools head Bob Muglia, and General Counsel Brad Smith at a conference call at 8:30 a.m. PT today.

The "open" principles apply to the following high-volume Microsoft products: Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007, and future versions of all these products, Microsoft said.

The company will be allegedly collaborating in implementing the new strategy with the Interoperability Executive Customer (IEC) Council, an advisory organization established in 2006 and consisting mainly of chief information and technology officers from more than 40 companies and government bodies around the world, the Redmond company said in a statement.

What's even more interesting is that Microsoft promised not to sue open source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of implementations of its protocols.