“Your tale, Sir, would cure deafness” (W. Shakespeare, the Tempest I.2)
,----[ Quote ]
| If you thought you had seen everything about OOXML with the likes of Rick
| Jelliffe, committees that have been stuffed by Microsoft and its minions to
| the point where no other choice than approval would be possible, think again.
| And do open your eyes to one of the greatest scams of computing history.
| Below are a few examples of what I’m talking about today. But they are
| meaningful enough.
`----
http://standardsandfreedom.net/index.php/2008/03/31/your-tale-sir-would-cure-deafness-w-shakespeare-the-tempest-i2/
OOXML about to pass? Incredible irregularities reported
,----[ Quote ]
| Clearly, the entire process has become a mockery. It is quite infuriating
| having to watch this and being unable to change what is so very obviously a
| process that is now heavily undermined and compromised by vendor interests.
| ISO is losing credibility as a technical and independent standards gremium.
|
| Why should we care? Nobody forces us to use OOXML, right? One of the posters
| in the Slashdot discussion wonderfully summed up the situation we will be in:
|
| OOXML will pass, MS Office will use its own, non-standard version of
| OOXML, governments will claim they are in compliance with laws requiring
| open standards, and the rest of us will be in the same boat we've been in
| for fifteen years. It's all quite sick.
|
| Yes, I reckon that's exactly what's going to happen, and that - of course -
| is exactly what Microsoft wants. Sigh...
`----
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/foobar/4802mocke
Related:
Microsoft influencing partner NGOs to support OOXML in India
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is encouraging its business partners to promote its Office Open XML
| specification (OOXML) to the Indian Bureau of Standards (BIS) and Ministry of
| IT. This move has incensed supporters of the rival OpenDocument Format (ODF)
| who fear that the "soft" Indian state may not be able to stand up to
| Microsoft pressure tactics.
`----
http://www.linux.com/feature/128528
Microsoft India using NGOs to fake support for OOXML
http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-44038/microsoft-india-using-ngos-to-fake-support-for-ooxml
Becoming a better company: Microsoft helps NGOs in India
,----[ Quote ]
| Of course, there has to be some trade-offs, because there should never be
| free lunch, even for the ones who starve: Microsoft, according to this
| article, has conditioned its help to Indian NGOs to their support of OOXML.
| What the NGOs had to do was to send letters of support on OOXML to the
| federal government of India.
`----
http://standardsandfreedom.net/index.php/2008/02/29/becoming-a-better-company-microsoft-helps-ngos-in-india/
Microsoft "persuades" NGOs to support OOXML
,----[ Quote ]
| Our friends at Linux Delhi have put up a copy of the form letters that
| Microsoft has been sending NGOs on the OOXML issue. Apparently, these NGOs
| have been sending copies of these letters to the Ministry of IT and Bureau of
| Indian standards.
`----
http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/02/microsoft-persuades-ngos-to-support.html
Developers around the world, unite!
,----[ Quote ]
| Monopoly and proprietary software have an advantage in influencing state and
| governmental institutions because of their large market base and ready
| capital. Unscrupulous ways of influencing state governments have persisted in
| India, for example, where executives of proprietary software cajole
| government heads to promote their brands in lieu of some form of charity
| given. FLOSS activists must overcome this huge challenge in order to get
| their philosophy accepted and model implemented for the good of people who
| are still on the barren side of the digital divide.
`----
http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=147277&catid=11
Using NGOs to Push Agendas
,----[ Quote ]
| The extent to which Microsoft can go in its efforts to get OOXML is
| interesting. Microsoft has "persuaded" several non-profit organizations to
| bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the
| Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML proposal. A copy
| of the form letter they have been circulating to NGOs is given below.
| Somebody should interview these NGOs to see how much they really know about
| OOXML and open standards.
|
| The sequence of events leading up to the spamming of GoI? is:
|
| Letter from an NGO thanking Microsoft (name changed to protect their
| identity)
`----
http://wiki.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/OpenStandards/MsNgoLobby
Evidence of Microsoft issuing money to tens of thousands to Indian charities
just days before the vote here:
http://boycottnovell.com/2008/03/01/bribe-charity-xooml-india/
Microsoft files complaint on OOXML vote to apex office and Ministry of Consumer
Affairs
,----[ Quote ]
| At the meeting held on 20th March 2008, we were informed that Microsoft has
| complained to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and to the apex office of the
| country about the constitution of the committee and also cast aspersions on
| the impartiality of the chairperson of LITD15, Mrs. Neeta Verma. The
| chairperson was furious and offered to step down from her post. She pointed
| out that the committee has met numerous times and Microsoft never brought
| this issue up in front of the committee nor did they check the facts with her
| or her organization before complaining to the apex office.
`----
http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/03/microsoft-files-complaint-on-ooxml-vote.html
Should India change its vote No vote for OOXML? - please?
,----[ Quote ]
| Well done to the Bureau of Indian Standards for standing firm against this
| raging bully. Hopefully one day the bully will learn how to play fair and
| contribute positively to the standards process, and not try to manipulate its
| way in.
|
| Truly despicable behaviour. Shame on you, Microsoft, yet again. How will we
| ever trust you?
`----
http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2008/03/should-india-ch.html
Steve Ballmer was in India?
,----[ Quote ]
| Interestingly, that was the day when BIS met to discuss OOXML. For those who
| have been following this issue, India's final vote on the subject will be on
| 20th May 2008. Talk about timing!
`----
http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/03/steve-ballmer-was-in-india.html
Microsoft puppets spamming ANSI
,----[ Quote ]
| An impressive list of spam comments asking for supporting OOXML and
| backward compatibility, claiming also that "Open XML in no way
| contradicts any other international document standard". No really?
`----
http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-11857/microsoft-puppets-spamming-ansi
Microsoft Lobbying In Singapore
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft business partners were giving template letters and asked to fill
| them in. The letters are word for word the same. It makes for incredible
| reading. In fact, the keen-eyed reader will notice that some of the letters
| have the template variables still present (look for [ADD NAME, TITLE, ASSOC.]
| e.g Alphasoft, CHASS, etc).
|
| [...]
|
| And the most hilarious letter of support comes from a Singaporean secondary
| girl's school, Crescent Girl's School. That's right folks, that's how
| desperate they were to get their "Approve" vote, they actually got a school
| to submit a letter of support...
`----
http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2008/03/microsoft-lobby.html?cid=108850772
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