The Definition of Insanity
,----[ Quote ]
| Once Netware was defeated by Windows NT, their attitudes changed, and the
| flow of information stopped. Proprietary modifications to core protocols like
| the Kerberos authentication protocol followed, and these changes were treated
| as trade secrets, patented if possible, and only released under restrictive
| non-disclosure agreements, if released at all (2).
|
| This historical record makes the recent global activities over the "Office
| Open XML" (OOXML) document format so interesting.
|
| [...]
|
| But ISO standards have a much more political dimension to them than Internet
| (IETF) or World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards. Every country can vote,
| although not all chose to do so. So we saw over the past few weeks some
| strange and rather irregular national positions coming to light. My own
| favorites were Cuba voting "yes" to the fast-tracking of OOXML, even though
| Microsoft is prohibited by the US Government from selling any software on the
| island that might even be able to read and write the new format, and
| Azerbaijan's "yes" vote, even though OOXML as defined isn't able to express a
| Web URL address in Azeri, their official language.
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http://www.tuxdeluxe.org/node/255
Fast Track in Wonderland
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| There is a strange and twisted place where standards are not held to high
| standards, where we are told that ”yes” means ”no” and ”no” means ”yes”,
| where ”competition among standards” is argued to be a good thing, and where
| standardization is achieved by bribery and foul play instead of honest work.
| Scaringly enough, that place is Earth. Join us on a journey down the rabbit
| hole, to a place where logic is a matter of dispute, decency has been thrown
| out the window and common sense is considered evil. The end of the story is
| not yet written, but its beginning is entertaining enough.
`----
http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-18842/fast-track-in-wonderland
Related:
Microsoft Loses, Spins Open XML Vote
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| ISO issued a statement that makes plain what Microsoft tried to spin as a
| victory.
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http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2178917,00.asp
Microsoft FUD Watch: OOXML Edition
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| Apparently, there is more than one way to stuff the ballot box.
|
| In all my years working as a journalist, I've never seen any technology
| company spin information the way Microsoft did today. The press release on
| OOXML ratification is a blueprint for spinning semantics, and the stringing
| together of truths and half-truths to seemingly make the outcome of one event
| something else altogether.
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http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/business_applications/microsoft_fud_watch_ooxml_edition.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
Microsoft spins OOXML loss as a win
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft lost its effort to win “fast track” approval of its OOXML (which it
| calls Open XML) as an international standard, but you wouldn’t know that
| from reading much of the press coverage.
|
| * Microsoft claims global support for Open XML.
| * Microsoft reports victory in preliminary ISO ballot.
| * Microsoft takes big step toward OOXML approval.
| * Microsoft is seen winning an international standard vote.
| * Strong global support for Open XML.
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http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=1382
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
,----[ Quote ]
| No kidding. Microsoft continues to steam-roll the competition, as illustrated
| by its latest attempt to ram acceptance of OOXML through ISO by the blatantly
| rigging the vote. And of course the European's really love Microsoft's
| business practices. Not. No, Microsoft has the DoJ in their hip pocket thanks
| to the "pro-business" stance of the Bush administration, and as long as
| Bushites remain in power and the Democrats remain inept and impotent, it's
| going to stay that way. Which leaves those of use who really believe in a
| free and fair market to fend for ourselves.
`----
http://blogbeebe.blogspot.com/2007/09/lord-what-fools-these-mortals-be.html
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