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Re: [News] New Zealand Expresses Concerns Over OOXML After Microsoft's Dirty Tricks

Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> Standards NZ disappointed at Open XML fast-track
> 
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Standards New Zealand is disappointed at the go-ahead given to
>| fast-track consideration of Microsoft's Open XML data format as
>| an ISO standard.
> `----
> 
> http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/5CB3B2EB34E54949CC2572A7001114D2
> 

Microsoft have no interest whatsoever in abiding by any rules other than
those they set themselves.  They see themselves as above and beyond the
law, all laws.  They are quite happy to manipulate any standardisation
body they can.

As I've pointed out /many/ times here, the proper solution to this
problem is "source-code as a standard".  Using English to express state
machines does not work, even when you want it to.  In the case of OXML,
there is not even any intent to make it work, rather, Microsoft
submitted thousands of pages of documentation partially but incompletely
describing the whole historical development of Word, and wishes this
historical artefact to be adopted as a standard.

As you should with any drug dealer - just say no.

> Corruption and political manipulation involved (see below).
> 
> 
> Related:
> 
> 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.
>| 
>| [...]
>| 
>| Do you see any reason for there to be two standards? If you were
>| starting blank-slate, there certainly would not be value to creating
>| two separate standards. Over time, it has sometimes been useful to
>| have the competition of two standards to keep both sides honest.
>| But I don't see particular value in the long-term co-existence of
>| two separate standards.
> `----
> 
> http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012760&source=rss_news50
> 
> 
> From the previous CIO....
> 
> ,----[ 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.
>| 
>|    Quinn:  I believe that the ODF decision will stand. I believe MS
>|    will continue to do anything and everything it can to stop it. And I
>|    know my seat wasn't even empty and they (MS) took another shot at
>|    the title, to no avail. This horse is out of the barn and I see no
>|    way for it to go back in. Remember, all we are asking for was and is
>|    for Microsoft to commit to open and the standards process; so
>|    everyone looks really bad if the plug gets pulled at this juncture. 
> `----
> 
> 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
> 
> 
> The Sorry State of Massachusetts
> 
> http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=2006111603531029
> 
> 
> Microsoft offers schools in Mass. free software (to stop ODF adoption)
> 
> http://news.com.com/2100-7344_3-6090196.html?part=rss&tag=6090196&subj=news
> 
> 
> Microsoft plays Massachusetts Senate card
> 
> http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32515
> 
> 
> Politics and tech companies: follow the money
> 
> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
> 
> 
> Microsoft playing three card monte with XML conversion
> 
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Gary Edwards of the Open Document Foundation, a leading member
>| of its technical committee, says Microsoft is playing proprietary
>| games aimed at controlling XML file formats and preventing the
>| Open Document Format from gaining a foothold.
> `----
> 
> http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=959


-- 
| 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/                        |

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