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Re: [News] Google Thrives, So Microsoft Takes Over US Government (a Whole GROUP of Lobbyists)

Roy Schestowitz wrote:

Microsoft trounces pro-ODF forces in state battles over open document formats

,----[ Quote ]
| In a resounding victory for Microsoft Corp., bills seeking
| to mandate the use of open document formats by government
| agencies have been defeated in five states, and only a
| much-watered-down version of such legislation was signed | into law in a sixth state.
`----

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=
printArticleBasic&articleId=9022878

[quote]
"There was heavy opposition from a certain large software company
in Redmond, Wash.," a spokesman for Rep. Peter Buckley said
Friday. "But we don't name names." Buckley, a Democrat, sponsored
the bill in the state legislature.
[/quote]

Yes, it is rather unfortunate that government, a supposed long
time defender of open competition would cave in to dispelling
proposed laws that would not lock a state or state institution into a particular vendor's product.

ODF does not even prevent Microsoft from competitively providing. It however places all competitors on even footing.

I found this editorialised reporting disturbing:

[quote]
The software vendor's hardball lobbying tactics also played a part in the outcome of the debate over the open formats bill that was proposed in Minnesota, Betzold said. But he added that neither side was innocent. "IBM had their own interest, and Microsoft had their own interest," he noted.
[/quote]

By billing it as an IBM versus Microsoft makes it as though ODF is IBM proprietary. It is not.

[quote]
In Texas, corporate lobbying was also behind both the creation and eventual demise of HB1794, a bill in favor of open formats. The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Marc Veasey, acknowledged that he became interested in the issue only after being approached by former political colleagues who now work for IBM.
[/quote]

IOW, it is okay to be approached by Microsoft colleagues but not IBM colleagues.

[quote]
The other problem, Mathers said, was the jargon-laden disinformation that committee members felt they were being fed by lobbyists for both IBM and Microsoft. Although lobbyists would tell the committee one thing in private, they got cold feet when asked to verify the information publicly under oath. "Suddenly, nobody wanted to sign witness affirmation forms and testify," he said.

That undermined the credibility of each side, but it particularly damaged the position of ODF proponents.
[/quote]

This sounds like reporter gobshite, IMHO.

--
HPT

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