Microsoft patent filing is stupid rather than evil
,----[ Quote ]
| In a nutshell, this patent filing would appear to be suggesting that groups
| of computer users engaged in a similar type of activity can be monitored in
| order to provide community network based help with tasks. By recording
| metabolic data it is possible to determine levels of stress and frustration
| during the performance of a given task, say creating a new spreadsheet, which
| would trigger the help system into action. Other users who have successfully
| performed that same task recently could then be asked to help the struggling
| member of this worker community.
|
| Of course, such technology has the potential to be put to a use which impacts
| negatively upon the privacy of the individual. To be honest though, this one
| seems to have a much greater potential to be one that gets filed under bad
| ideas quickly forgotten, right next to Microsoft Bob in fact...
`----
http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1973.html
With 'quality' patgents like this, Microsoft tries to scare people off
GNU/Linux. This will boomerang. See this:
RIAA told to pay legal fees for harrassed defendant
,----[ Quote ]
| The case was then dismissed with prejudice, meaning Andersen could attempt to
| recover attorneys' fees from the RIAA. Andersen also dismissed her own
| countersuit without prejudice in order to pursue a separate malicious
| prosecution lawsuit against the RIAA.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/17/tanya_andersen_riaa_attorneys_fees/
With all of Microsoft's lawsuits by proxy gradually being exposed (evidence
rising from the ashes), lawsuits against Microsoft can come. Some are already
planning to sue Microsoft's for its OOXML frauds and crimes.
Related:
Battle for the transparency
,----[ Quote ]
| It's been a while now, and I'm still trying to enforce HZN (Croatian national
| standards body, or CSI) to disclose the information on members of their TC
| that voted unconditional yes for Microsoft OOXML. (more about that on
| Croatian blog Fuzzy on www.linux.hr)
| It's no more about OOXML. It's about transparency, about my right to know who
| are the people that declare standards, and about my right to hold them
| responsible for their actions.
| They're stubborn. So am I. I have reached the point where the only sensible
| thing to do is to - sue them. Which is what I'm set up to.
`----
http://www.oddparity.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=99999999
,----[ Quote ]
| Just yesterday I was sitting in the relevant meeting of SNV/UK14
| (http://www.snv.ch/), that decides how Switzerland will vote. The
| chairman (Hans-Rudolf Thomann) explained the following rules:
|
| - we are here to create standards, not to reject them
| - if we reach consensus (>=75%) to vote for Microsoft, we will vote
| for Microsoft
| - if we only reach a majority (>=50%) to vote for Microsoft, we
| will vote for Microsoft
| - if we reach a majority to vote against Microsoft, we will vote
| for Microsoft
| - if we reach consensus to vote against Microsoft, we will abstain
`----
http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-15521/swiss-cheese
Microsoft’s secretive standards orgs in Former Yugoslavia
,----[ Quote ]
| Croatian laws keep its national body’s votes secret, so the only way for the
| Croatian public to find out how the process went would be if a board member
| illegally leaked information out of CSI. This is, of course, unlikely to
| happen. And the Serbian national standardization body is not officially
| formed, so those two votes were easy for Microsoft, and probably not only
| ones around the globe.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/092407-ooxml.html?page=1
Microsoft Tech Ed 2007: OpenXML
,----[ Quote ]
| He was asked "Why did Microsoft push OOXML through the "Fast Track" process
| instead of the standard ISO process? Wouldn't they get less resistance than
| faced now?"
|
| His response was very frank: "Office is a USD$10 billion revenue generator
| for the company. When ODF was made an ISO standard, Microsoft had to react
| quickly as certain governments have procurement policies which prefer ISO
| standards. Ecma and OASIS are 'international standards', but ISO is the
| international 'Gold Standard'. Microsoft therefore had to rush this standard
| through. Its a simple matter of commercial interests!"
`---- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2007/09/microsoft-tech-.html
Evidence of Microsoft Influencing OOXML Votes in Nordic States
,----[ Quote ]
| "This is how a standard is bought," Bosson wrote later. "I left the meeting
| in protest - pissed off."
`----
http://www.betanews.com/article/Evidence_of_Microsoft_Influencing_OOXML_Votes_in_Nordic_States/1188335569
Microsoft Memo to Partners in Sweden Surfaces: Vote Yes for OOXML - Updated
,----[ Quote ]
| He acknowledges that the rules might need to be changed.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070829070630660
The OOXML Problem
,----[ Quote ]
| Another thing, by introducing a "new fancy" document format, MS can hold a
| tighter grip round existing customers and get more on the false pretence that
| they've "opened up".
`----
http://phun-ky.net/2007/08/the-ooxml-problem
Rejecting OOXML
,----[ Quote ]
| All the CIOs say they want is XML documents; unfortunately they aren't as
| aware as Georg Greve, above, that Microsoft's implementation of XML is
| exceedingly half-hearted.
`----
http://fussnotes.typepad.com/plexnex/2007/08/rejecting-ooxml.html
|
|
