RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars?
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/5/2006 10:58:31 AM
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Gale
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Tim in the first link below the article talks about the Qirra connection to Symbility.
Well the links below and a short quote are in no specific order or of any special meaning to most CADO readers but since I have pulled it together I will post is so those with a vested interest will have access to this research and can digest it as desired.
The more I researched the more confused I became. I now remember/understand why my past experience with Canadian penny stock was not positive. While technically Symbility could potentially crack the Xactimate nut they first are going to have to prove they have the required technical, business and financial assets to do so. Those are all knows with Xactimate today.
As you can read shortly after the suit was initiated by Xactimate Eric Embacher, the founder of Symbility was removed from the management position of President and replaced by a Jim Crocker. Eric was moved into the position of chief software architect. Perhaps a good business move but if he feels his baby was ripped away from him what impact on future development if any? Some of us have seen that happen to a founder in this industry.
If you look at the dates you will see where in 2004 they were talking $13 per claim and in 2005 it was $20-$25 per claim so where is their big price edge on Xactimate? Technology wise the solution is dependent on the backend being there so for the carrier it seems it is requiring a leap of faith in now another mostly different management team from only a short while ago. According to the press releases this new management could be head and shoulders over past management members. If they continue to raise cash it should be positive since money typically follows talent.
Of course the true reason for Xactimate going to court will be interesting when it is learn. Just as is in the current case of the Black Berry this lawsuit comes at a time when the most damage can be down. Should Xactimate succeed it could lead to higher claims handling cost for all carriers in the world in the years ahead.
At this point it could simply be an overreaction by the new management team at Xactimate that were installed back in the summer of 2005. The pressure on them is unreal I would think and I do feel for them. The pressure on the second generation is always greater then the founding generation. When you start with nothing and end up with nothing so what because that happens all of the time? When you are start calling the final shots when you are at the top each of your “required” learning mistakes are much more costly in the terms of dollars and emotions. Leaving a family business to the next generation can almost be a curse if the founder did not have it running without his or her input for the last five years it seems sometimes.
Symbility has a major investment make and a lot of the technical learning curve behind them but that from personal experience is the easy part. Gaining market share with any software related solution is next to impossible. When you layer more complex technology to learn and purchase you decrease your odds of success exponentially. Symbility is trying to create a demand for solution that no vendor has successfully done. It is easier to see a wagon to someone that has never driven a car and feel they are to complex and costly to even be interested moving to new technology.
If Symbility has developed the solution the carriers will embrace then where they survive as a vendor or not their solution will be copied by all in time.
If Xactimate’s legal counsel can learn the laws that apply today and stop their “known and provable” legal abuse of other vendors at this time their future will be brighter I know without question. Putting their staff legal counsel into the Sales and Customer Support departments could do wonders to keep the company on the track laid by its founder.
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http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/March2004/11/c9370.html
“Eric Embacher is a founder and the President of Symbility. In 1996 hefounded Qirra Custom Software ("Qirra"), the first Windows based estimatingsystem, which was later sold to the Prism Network of the United States. Helater co-founded another successful technology company serving the insuranceindustry with one of Qirra's investors. Prior to starting Qirra, Mr. Embacherran a successful consulting firm for 4 years which included IBM Canada as oneof his many clients.” ****************
http://www.symbilitysolutions.com/company.html
“Our co-founders last revolutionized the property claims industry by introducing the world’s first Windows™-based property claims estimating software, the Qirra Estimating System (1994). Our list of innovations also includes pioneering digital imaging for property estimates (1996) and the world's first mobile estimating system, PocketScope (1997), which ran on the first generation of Microsoft's mobile Windows® operating system.”
http://www.infoworld.com/Oracle/company_44760.html?view=3&curNodeId=0&prId=NYTU08813122005-1
“-- Jim Crocker has been appointed the president of Symbility Solutions. Prior to joining Symbility, Mr. Crocker established a legacy of successfully leading innovative technology companies into profitability during their rapid growth periods. From 2003 to 2005 Mr. Crocker was the President and CEO of LogiSense Corporation, a provider of IP billing and network optimization software. From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Crocker was the President and CEO of Virtek, a TSE-listed laser and robotics company that was listed for 5 years on Profit Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies.
-- Eric Embacher has been appointed to the position of chief software architect. Mr. Embacher is a founder of Symbility Solutions and the mobile claims pen based computing solution. In 1996 he founded Qirra Custom Software; the first Windows based estimating system that was later sold to Prism Network. In this new role, Mr. Embacher will channel his industry expertise and product design excellence in leading Symbility's vision for claims automation into real customer value.”
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http://www.garywill.com/digest/wtd0405.htm
Symbility acquired by Alberta public company
May 20, 2004
“Kitchener's Symbility Solutions has been acquired by Edmonton-based Automated Benefits Corp. (AutoBen), which trades on the TSX Venture Exchange.
Symbility was founded in Victoria in 2002 by Eric Embacher and Marc-Olivier Huynh and moved to Kitchener last year. It evolved out of a company called Qirra Custom Software, which launched in 1996. Symbility develops Web-based applications for pen-based PDAs that are used in the field by claims estimators to process property insurance claims. It expects to launch its first pilot implementations in September with ING, Allstate, Economical, and Royal & SunAlliance.
Symbility plans to use a transaction-based revenue model and estimates that it will receive about US$13 per claim. The company is pre-revenue, and in its first 18 months, ended December 31, it reported a net loss of $153,000. It had raised $147,500 through the sale of shares.”
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http://www.autoben.com/AUTOBEN_AGM_21-06-05.PPT
• Underwriting losses run at 106%: 53% payouts, 18% underwriting, 35% claims handling
?????? This is a PowerPoint presentation of a shareholders meeting it seems. This came off of slide #9. If it is/was factual it means handling cost is well over one half of the payout cost. Jim, others does that seem possible??????
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http://www.garywill.com/digest/wtd0510.htm
Symbility hires Jim Crocker as president
October 21, 2005 Jim Crocker is the new president of Symbility Solutions, succeeding founder Eric Embacher, who becomes Chief Software Architect. James Swayze remains CEO of both Symbility and its parent company, Automated Benefits.
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http://www.stockhouse.ca/comp_info.asp?view=&Displaycurrency=&symbol=AUT&table=list
This is a cool stock tool. It provides very detail down to the day about Symbility’s parent.
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http://www.garywill.com/digest/wtd0508.htm Issue 102 -- September 5, 2005
Symbility Solutions is being accused of patent infringement by a U.S. competitor. Xactware filed a complaint a motion for preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Utah. Symbility says it has been advised by its U.S. patent lawyers that its products do not infringe on any valid claim of the Xactware patents and suggested that the suit was a response to Xactware losing business to Symbility. Xactware is based in Orem, Utah.
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http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/101005-symbility.html
Insurance adjusters use pen-based GUI, wireless
By John Cox, Network World, 10/10/05
Using an ASP, Symbility charges customers $20 per claim, regardless of its size or how long it takes to settle. If outside contractors or independent adjusters "touch" the claim, they pay a one-time $5 fee.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/5/2006 2:59:04 PM
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newtonclaimstim
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Thanks, Gale for the info. I worked as a PTC contractor during non cat times. The required training 1 day of internet usage of the near xactimate style of coding and and diary
along with uploading photo's and diagram's along with Itel usage. All this tied back to Allstate. It was well run, with contact deadlines and progress reports. Good Luck
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/6/2006 3:01:38 PM
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Gale
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Here are some current Xactware patents that their validity is in question in the Symbiliy case it seems. Maybe some of you legal beagle types will organize, review and comment on these patents in a timeline fashion by when they were granted.
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ptxt&S1=6,810,383&OS=6,810,383&RS=6,810,383
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ptxt&S1=6,826,539&OS=6,826,539&RS=6,826,539
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ptxt&S1=6,829,584&OS=6,829,584&RS=6,829,584
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=3&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ptxt&S1=6,816,819&OS=6,816,819&RS=6,816,819
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=11&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ptxt&S1=6,037,945&OS=6,037,945&RS=6,037,945
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/6/2006 3:38:14 PM
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Jgoodman
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A brief reading of these makes it seems that any program written to estimate structures and stored for viewing by multiple people over the Internet would violate these patents.
My software that I have been working on since 1994 does much of what seems to be patented here. As, I imagine, does Simsol, MSB and Powerclaim. How would one create a Windows based estimating system if it cannot store an electronic representation of a structure using a computer and a graphical interface? And store it for viewing later.
It almost seems as if these patents were filed just so they could sue future competitors.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Jeff Goodman
Good Man Adjusting
Goodman Enterprises
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/7/2006 2:05:00 AM
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Catmandale
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Gale,
In a similar vein, I recoomend an interesting book entitled "Startup", written in 1994 or 1995 by Jerry Kaplan. I lays out the trials and tribulations of Jerry's early attempts at pen based computing, and touches upon the role played by State Farm in that development process. At the time I first read the book, I was concurrently reading a book on Bill Gates, and it offered some interesting cross references and connections. Big business is VERY nasty.
Dale
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/8/2006 1:19:50 AM
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Gale
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Thanks Dale, I will check it out. Below is something I saw today on the subject.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2004/08/03/44553.htm "Patents pose a financial risk to corporate Linux users - just like they do to corporate users of almost any software - because, whether or not a patent is truly infringed, it costs $3 million dollars on average to defend a patent lawsuit," said Ravicher. It seems gaining a patent where it is valid or not can be costly to all parties.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/10/2006 10:41:51 AM
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JGardner
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Gale,
Great work on finding that informtion regarding specific patents that are under question. I look forward to reading it.
IntegriClaim's Comcentral feature allows an adjuster to complete their estimate and leave it "open" for review and revision by other parties once it is sent. I beleive that it was IntegriClaim's partnership with Pilot Catastrophe helped spearhead this technology. Currently, several other vendors & carriers that subscribe to IntegriClaim take advantage of this feature.
My best bet is that this is going to be the extent of the estimating softwares' abilities to "open up". I find it difficult to see how later developments would force different software companies to allow work done with their patented software to be reviewed and revised. Sounds a little too pollyanna and kinda like communism to me.
John Postava- if you're reading this, I'm curious to hear your general thoughts on how this would work, since you brought it up earlier on this thread.
_____________________________
Jud
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 1/10/2006 5:31:12 PM
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johnpostava
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On the contrary, Judson, the "openness" of the estimate data has been enjoyed by the auto estimating and claims departments for years. All of the three major auto softwares agreed to open their estimate and share data. No matter what software writes the estimate, the data goes to a 3rd party and it develops the management reports for the insurance carriers and industry. Saves the auto side of the house millions.
With property it will not be that easy. The software market share is lop-sided with one vendor dictating to all what will be open and what will not. That does not happen on the auto side. One day it will be that way in property but I don't know if I will be around to see it. Katrina claims are wearing me out! Gotta go......
_____________________________
John A. Postava, R.P.A.
President
SIMSOL Software, Inc.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 2/7/2006 10:20:03 PM
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Gale
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Looks like Xactimate’s lawsuit did not work to keep out foreign competition!
http://www.symbilitysolutions.com/news/news_011306.html
Symbility commences two U.S. software pilot programs
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 13, 2006)
Pilot Companies Represent 100,000 Claims Per Year
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 3/29/2006 7:01:08 PM
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Gale
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If you want to see all of the vendors in one place at the same time and would like some free training and find yourself in the Nashville area this weekend stop by the Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Go to http://www.claimsconf.org/Estimating.cfm to find links to all of the vendors.
Free Estimating Systems Training Sunday, April 2, 2006 Beginners 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Advanced 3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
MSB (formerly Marshall Swift Boeckh), Power Claim, Simsol, and Xactware will offer beginner and advanced level training sessions on their building damage estimating systems.
The PowerClaim classes will be held in the Lincoln C hall and the others will be in the same area of the conference hall. This is a pre conference event so you do not have to register to attend the conference that starts on Monday in order to get this free training. We will be using a Tablet PC if you want to see PowerClaim XML running to a Tablet PC in case you are looking at getting a Tablet or Slate PC in the near future.
If you find yourself in the area please stop by. To visit any vendor on Monday or Tuesday at the tradeshow you will have to register to attend the conference but not for this training. If you have any questions about the format of the PowerClaim XML training this Sunday just call 800-736-1246 or email me at gale@powerclaim.com. Remember the 1-5:15PM CDT training time on Sunday is free. You can bring a computer or just sit back and watch the live training on the big screen.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/9/2006 12:47:01 AM
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PORTASATGUY
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I dont know all Softwear has its in's and Out's. For me Exactimate seems to have a Jump on others in that they are SLOWLY getting the insurer's to establish accounts and data inputing the Insured's info and having a download and update processing on the net for the Insurer's. However I do think that there is a problem of having TOO MUCH INFORMATION. Hey If they assign a claim to an adjuster, and the Adjuster FAILS to contact the insured's in a timely manner they should re assign the claim. Instead we not only have to SCOPE, WRITE, SETTLE, but perform alot of extra data pre and post claim.
It is NOT A HARD FACT. Dont Get overloaded with Claims, or take More than you can handle, Keep In contact with your storm manager, Let them know when you will be away. and LEARN the programs, Be PROFICIANT, and GIDDER DONE! If it is Done RIGHT, and Professionally, You Get the claim, Contact the insured, Set appointment, Scope the Loss, Write the estimate, Contact the insured and reccomend settelment based on what you saw! All of this should take a process of no more than a week.
Bottom Line, All the programs we love and are apart of our Business, No matter what will NEVER EVER be as good as the good folks using them!
WHADAYASAY!
_____________________________
R. Estes
Life is short LIVE IT!
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/9/2006 11:51:14 PM
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REWARDADJUSTING
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There is no merit for a software war. SIMSOL is the most user friendly efficent independent adjuster software - period. Xactimate is the worst software ever for adjusting.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/10/2006 1:05:45 AM
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PORTASATGUY
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quote:
ORIGINAL: REWARDADJUSTING
There is no merit for a software war. SIMSOL is the most user friendly efficent independent adjuster software - period. Xactimate is the worst software ever for adjusting.
Well best to get used to utilizing it, cause there are ALOT of carriers integrating with it this year. All trying to Go completely paperless, and are making the switch!
But Simsol is good also!
_____________________________
R. Estes
Life is short LIVE IT!
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/10/2006 1:50:41 AM
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Gale
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Mr. Rimrot there really is no software war in progress if you look at the numbers yet there are many that will agree with your statement. Why not set the goal to develop a claims handling solution that meets the management objectives of the carriers that also helps the adjusters do their job better, faster and easier?
< Message edited by Gale -- 4/10/2006 9:22:53 AM >
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/10/2006 11:37:16 AM
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mh0825
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Gale
Why not set the goal to develop a claims handling solution that meets the management objectives of the carriers that also helps the adjusters do their job better, faster and easier?
... I am waiting to hear why not.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/10/2006 3:13:37 PM
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Gale
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Mat, maybe my full post to Ralf Rimrot will paint a more complete picture.
Mr. Rimrot there really is no software war in progress if you look at the numbers yet there are many that will agree with your statement. Some place I recently ready Xactimate has about 100,000 users with the split about 50/50 between adjusting and contracting. John indicated last September in post #31 http://www.catadjuster.org/forum/m_9263/mpage_2/key_/tm.htm#10249 they had over 4,000 adjusters using Simsol. While what he and his bother Frank has done in the estimating software industry is no small thing I am starting to see their mindset stated in post 31 mentioned above has missed the mark on behalf of adjusters.
At Hawkins Research, Inc. we too have claimed in the past that we are in business to assist property insurance professionals in doing their job better, faster and easier and that we have succeeded in that endeavor. As I move out of the day to day running of HRI and more into staff and business development the more I realize that we kid ourselves if we think we have succeeded to assist property insurance professionals in doing their job better, faster and easier if we do not achieve carrier penetration as far as the use of our tools go.
You can show a kid your great candy and even offer him a free sample but if his parents are going to forbid him from eating your candy you have just frustrated both yourself and the kid if he desires the candy.
This is the reason we at HRI have moved from a tools vendor mentality to a solutions provider to insurance carriers with the main focus to help improve their loss ratios though research. This moves our mindset to the end results so we can work backwards from the end goal. While we are doing more software development than ever and at a faster rate still software development is not our objective. Providing the management in the carriers with the information they need/want is key to being a true friend to the adjusters. If they can not eat your desirable candy than it is useless to them.
Why no one ever set the goal to meet the management objectives and help the adjusters do their job better, faster and easier escapes us. They are not mutually exclusive in our minds.
< Message edited by Gale -- 4/10/2006 4:31:34 PM >
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/10/2006 10:35:18 PM
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ranger
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I have heard Xactimate called Xacticrap like it is going to make a difference in what software the major carriers demand. Gale you have got it right in that the carriers are going to have to be sold and then we will see Simsol or PowerClaim being used by the adjusters for that company. I would tell you that you better get with the carriers soon as Xactimate is winning the war. I had switched over to PowerClaim when St.Paul/Travelers told me I would not get any of their assignments unless I used Xactimate - so I switched back. I have been getting Liberty Mutual and National Lloyds assignments from an independent that told me I had to use Xactimate. Mason Claims Service now states that Xactimate is the only software allowed for their assignments. When I go on hurricane assignments working State Farm claims it is Xactimate.
I wish you good fortune and success as I would like to see one of the major carriers give permission to use PowerClaim, Simsol or Xactimate.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/11/2006 9:25:50 AM
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trader
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Many quality adjusters worked last year without software.... it just depends on the need.......
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/11/2006 10:31:29 AM
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Gale
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Ranger, you made a hard point in that adjusters can call a software package by any name but they will still use it if it means feeding their family. The reason you had to leave PowerClaim and go back to Xactimate was beyond your control. It was just recently as I stepped back a few feet from the daily operations and got out in the carriers home offices that I realized that it is the responsibility of us at Hawkins Research, Inc. to see that we were meeting the needs of the carriers’ management teams before they would be willing to request the use of PowerClaim XML for estimating. Naturally a developer gets close the adjusters because of the daily interaction but when you step back and see the “needs” coin has two sides it became clear we needed to be talking to management about their needs. I am glad we did get our estimating solution very usable in the minds of many adjusters before turning to meeting management needs. Management prefers not to “force” the adjusters to use a certain brand and it is a big selling plus if the management team and adjusting team prefer the same solution.
One of the things that got the wheels to spinning was what John Postava stated last September about having 4K+ adjusters after having been on the market almost as long as Xactimate and then learning Xactimate has about 100K users now. I noticed Simsol now makes reference of having 5,000 users http://www.simsol.com/html/history.html . When looking at those numbers and Xactimate’s 100,000 users the first question that comes to mind is how can two estimating software vendors having approximately the same numbers of years of being on the market be so different in size, 100,000 users vs. 5,000 users? Then one reads Xactimate is Xacticrap and Simsol rules. How could this be true if the one that is 20 times the size of a competitor coming out of the same era is inferior in the minds of many adjusters?
Clearly it was the skill set of the management team behind each and their view of their mission. One let the good times roll and another enjoyed steady, manageable growth in both customer base and employees. One went for the minds of the carrier management and one when for the minds of adjusters. If either of these two peers had went for both the minds of management and that of the adjusters in the mid 1980’s there would never have been a DDS, PowerClaim or Symbility I expect.
I remember the day we decided to develop for the claims handling industry. It was because Xactimate while they had the numbers they did not have mindshare in the field. Boeckh was dying a fast death and Simsol had been mainly static for years in our simple view of the industry. Both Xactimate and Simsol had failed to move to Windows versions. We did not know about DDS at the time but when they failed to continue at an identity in 2001 and the reason seemed to be due to the fact they never closed any good size carrier accounts it was a wake up call for us at HRI.
John Postava in starting this thread has done a lot to help crack the Xactimate nut as we see it at HRI. With Simsol drawing attention to the fact that Xactimate is trying to stop or at least slow down Symbility with questionable legal tactics, since apparently Xactimate sees them as a threat to their domain has to be positive for the future of Symbility. Just the exposure on CADO that Symbility is a viable threat to the financial future of Xactimate adds a lot of clout to a young company.
Having spent about 30 minutes with their CEO at their booth at PLRB last week it is clear that his years in the insurance marketing industry puts him at the head of the pack of all estimating software CEO’s. Their challenge as I see it may be more in getting a nature estimating system on the market that is highly functional as fast as marketing can sell their solution. That is a tough row to hoe. Getting on the market too fast or too slow can both be killers. Steady, manageable growth is in and of itself not a bad thing. Symbility being traded on the stock exchange may mean the numbers have to keep going up or the source of growth capital can evaporate.
Just as you mentioned you would like to see the option to use the estimating software of your choice so do some of Xactimate’s carrier accounts from my personal understanding. It is not in the carriers long term best interest for there to be no software options for them to select. Competition is a good thing in most cases to foster technical improvements and drive out waste in the estimating solution vendors’ operation.
Ranger, I think one thing that makes it hard for software developers is we often start to believe our own marketing propaganda. With the recent info that Xactimate is 20 times the size of Simsol and listening to larger carriers tell us their concerns it became very clear to grow our user base we were going to have to embrace the concerns of the carriers as well has we had focused on the input from adjusters in the field. This is why we are introducing PowerClaim Net Services so near term we can offer our current carrier accounts the Xactnet/ComCentral type of claims handling solutions. Most carriers will never move to a solution that offers fewer features than what they have grown accustomed to using.
The key that Symbility plays in the future of this industry is they have the marketing skills and money I think to prove if their marketing approach is valid or not. If they succeed then the beginning of the end of the new management team at Xactimate will have begun and then the playing field will become somewhat leveled for the remaining players that can address both the needs of the carrier management teams and the field/telephone adjusters. Carriers do not want to slow down the adjusters because of the software they demand if they can still get what they need.
Mat hit in post #2 on this thread what we at HRI think will help level the playing field overnight more than any one thing and that is for the carriers to spec out that any software they will consider for their use will have to use an Open Standard format for both input and output. Then they would not be tied to proprietary claims formats so in a way the carriers will be the one that decide to stop the madness. I expect it will take the vendors driving this fact home a while longer before this happens but once it starts it will travel like wildfire in OK and TX.
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RE: 2006 - Year of the Software Wars? - 4/11/2006 4:17:16 PM
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shadow
Posts: 51
Joined: 5/10/2004
Home base: houston texas usa
Status: offline
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The key as I see it at this late stage in the game is not to"beat out" xactimate or try to steal the market share but rather to possibly come up with a software solution that xactimate finds useful as a third party add-on solution which could be copywritten then either sold as a stand alone third party addon or" sold" to xactimate,by which of course I mean licensed to them. Which licensing fees in and of themselves would generate significant income. This practice is used commonly by the software vendors such as symantec, microsoft and might I add that microsoft is not doing to be kind they are doing it because they were sued and lost over the abilty of foreign companies to write windows based programs. They are actually still in court over it I will try and find those articals again and post them here. However it was the same premise microsoft wanted all of their sourcecode to be held protected as intelectual property and copywrite however they lost in court as it hinders legitimate companies from even entering into that field.
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perfect worlds are hard to find
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