Microsoft opens Outlook format to outside developers
updated 03:05 pm EDT, Mon May 24, 2010
MS opens Outlook format with SDK
Microsoft on Monday acted on its promise to be open by posting official specs for Outlook's Personal Folders (PST) format. The combination of a Data Structure View Tool and a File Format SDK give developers an explanation of how to write and read to the format without having to have Outlook itself installed. Developers previously needed to have the e-mail app installed and could only use existing Windows-focused APIs.
The kit may open up compatibility with Outlook in significantly more e-mail platforms, especially on non-Windows platforms. Compatibility with Exchange has been common for some time, but few apps can easily create or import PST files. Most of Microsoft's interoperability efforts in the past have centered on regular Office documents using Office Open XML rather than existing, initially closed formats.
