Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> Google expands Puget Sound presence
>
> ,----[ Quote
>| Online search giant Google Inc. has signed a lease for nearly 200,000 square
>| feet for three new office buildings in Kirkland.
> `----
>
> http://biz.yahoo.com/bizj/070816/1507596.html?.v=1
>
> Google Web applications expanded to 5 universities
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Google Inc said on Thursday that five U.S. universities have signed on for
>| its Internet-based applications including e-mail and instant messaging.
> `----
>
> http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN1645238820070816?rpc=44
>
> It is rather nasty that academic institutes put their students in the hand of
> companies, but Google is not a convicted criminal (yet).
>
It'll really come down to whether they're locked-in or not. If google
use standard protocols, formats and so on, so that you can access what
you need from any platform without any signficiant exit barrier, then
there won't be a problem; further, I can see this being a boon to
universities which have borne the brunt of the dreadful security
problems of Windows for at least a decade now.
Once they get google apps in use, then they can install linux on all
their client machines, and so stop worrying about needing to license
anti-virus ware, anti-spyware and anti-trojan-ware, and also stop
worrying about "patch-tuesday" or whatever it is now.
The only issues they'll have are if anyone installs binary drivers...
should they do so, they will have the headaches of working with them, so
it'll be a lot more like being back with Windows - an exit barrier, a
lock-in.
> Now, watch Microsoft...
>
> Microsoft trying to derail Google/DoubleClick deal by lobbying congress
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Microsoft has hired lobbying firm Patton Boggs LLC to do work on "competitive
>| issues surrounding Google/DoubleClick [sic] merger."
> `----
>
> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070816-microsoft-spends-40000-to-lobby-congress-about-googledoubleclick-merger.html
>
> So it's not just the one guy that got exposed yesterday. It's a whole firm.
>
> More here:
> http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9760830-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
>
>
> Related:
>
> Legislators Wimp Out on Open Document Format Bills
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| As both Peter Quinn and Louis Gutierrez both found out, trying to
>| make responsible standards-related decisions where huge sums of
>| vendor revenues are at stake is scarcely a career-enhancing pastime.
>| CIOs should be entitled to stay out of harm's way, and try their best
>| to serve the public's interests the best they can. Where that can't be
>| done, legislatures should protect them, and keep them safe from the
>| types of unwarranted threats and attacks that Carol Sliwa reported
>| on in a series of public-records request-based stories at ComputerWorld
>| last December.
>|
>| [...]
>|
>| After the impressive lobbying assault mounted over the past six
>| months against open document format legislation, I expect you
>| won't be hearing of many state IT departments taking the baton
>| back from their legislators.
>|
>| And who can blame them? If they tried, it wouldn't be likely to
>| be anything as harmless as an open document format that would
>| bite them in the butt.
> `----
>
> http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070610175856704
>
>
> 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
>
>
> Packing The Court At The ISO?
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| ...P member countries ('participating member' countries) sending
>| representatives, and I am interested to note the majority of
>| their representatives are, as individuals, also Microsoft employees.
>|
>| [...]
>|
>| How can they not see that OOXML (ECMA 376) is unwanted by anyone outside of
>| Microsoft? How about it Brian Jones? Are you really so desperate that you
>| have to resort to that?
> `----
>
> http://lnxwalt.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/packing-the-court-at-the-iso/
>
>
> Q&A: Former Mass. CIO feels 'bittersweet pride' after battles with Microsoft,
> legislature
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| As CIO of Massachusetts from February to November last year, Louis
>| Gutierrez had to endure most of the brunt of Microsoft Corp.'s political
>| wrath over a state policy calling for the adoption of the Open Document
>| Format for Office Applications, or ODF -- a rival to the software vendor's
>| Office Open XML file format.
> `----
>
> http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012760&source=rss_news50
>
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Quinn: Almost to a person, to anybody involved or who knows about
>| the ODF issue, they attributed the story to Microsoft, right, wrong
>| or otherwise. Senator Pacheco may be a bully but I do not believe he
>| is disingenious and would stoop to such a tactic. Senator Pacheco and
>| Secretary Galvin's office remain very heavily influenced by the
>| Microsoft money and its lobbyist machine, as witnessed by their
>| playbook and words, in my opinion.
> `----
>
> http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060119232859729
>
>
> MA Governor-Elect Names MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist to Technology Advisory Group
>
> http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20061128161343183
>
>
> Bonnie Garcia - Enter the FUD Brigade
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| In opposing California AB 1668, Bonnie spreads a heaping
>| helping of fear, uncertainty and doubt by discussing
>| wholly unrelated IT projects that failed.
> `----
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpfu7pwabLY
>
>
> Bill seeks study of open document formats in New York
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| A bill introduced in the New York state legislature on
>| Wednesday would require the state government's IT director
>| to study the issue of using open document formats within
>| agencies, although the proposal doesn't seek to
>| mandate an immediate or long-term move to such formats.
>|
>| [...]
>|
>| Microsoft also is seeking the ISO stamp of approval for
>| Office Open XML, the default file format in its Office
>| 2007 software. But the software vendor has fought
>| the open formats bills in every state as part of an
>| effort to protect its Office franchise.
> `----
>
> http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=1431489376&rid=-50
>
>
> Politics and tech companies: follow the money
>
> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
>
>
> Years of deadlock on EU patent bring some new thinking
>
> http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/08/business/patents.php
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| "A source that deals with the company said unofficially that Gates
>| proposed Microsoft's Digital Rights Management technology as a national
>| standard to fight piracy at the governmental level."
> `----
>
> http://www.kommersant.com/p719683/r_528/
>
>
> State by state, Microsoft responds to creeping threat
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Characteristically, as lawmakers like Homan have learned,
>| Microsoft's hardly taking a passive position.
>|
>| [...]
>|
>| 'Microsoft sees what's coming. Things like Word and Excel
>| sort of like a drug now getting ready to go generic.'
> `----
>
> http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/state-state-microsoft-responds-assault/story.aspx?guid=%7BC0D943C4%2D4ADC%2D471C%2D8F87%2D9181A4EC3E7B%7D&siteid=yhoof
> http://tinyurl.com/2akafj
>
>
> Microsoft's 'Men in Black' kill Florida open standards legislation
>
> ,----[ Quote
>| It was just a bit of text advocating open data formats that was slipped into
>| a Florida State Senate bill at the last minute with no fanfare, but within
>| 24 hours three Microsoft-paid lobbyists, all wearing black suits, were
>| pressuring members of the Senate Committee on Governmental Operations
>| (COGO) to remove the words they didn't like from Senate bill 1974.
> `----
>
> http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/04/16/2019244&from=rss
>
>
> Leaked letter warns of open source 'threat to eco-system'
>
> http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=7109
>
>
> Study: open source needs official support; Lobbyist disagrees with "flawed"
> conclusions
>
> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061017-8011.html
>
>
> Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
>
>
> Open Source Foes In Bed With Abramoff
>
> http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/12/2036223&from=rss
>
>
> EU official joins consultancy serving Microsoft
>
> http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-10-03T134311Z_01_L03693228_RTRIDST_0_TECH-MICROSOFT-OFFICIAL.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna
>
>
> US ambassador to the EU was former Microsoft lobbyist
>
> http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34706
>
>
> US politicians go to bat for Microsoft
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/microsoft_eu_political_lobbying/
>
>
> Changing the Report, After the Vote
>
> http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/01/commission
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ |
| Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ |
| My (new) blog: http://www.thereisnomagic.org |
|
|
