____/ Mark Kent on Tuesday 04 March 2008 16:44 : \____
> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>> ____/ Mark Kent on Tuesday 04 March 2008 13:42 : \____
>>
>>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>>>> ____/ Mark Kent on Tuesday 04 March 2008 09:35 : \____
>>>>
>>>>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>>>>>> Some clarifications on the OOXML Ballot Resolution Meeting
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>>>>| The contrast with OOXML is sharp, and this brings us to another issue
>>>>>>| of contention. The Greek workgroup on OOXML had been handed only the
>>>>>>| Ecma Responses for Greece. It was at the BRM when we found out that we
>>>>>>| should have studied all responses, not only those for Greece. It is not
>>>>>>| clear if this is an error by Ecma or by the Greek NB, but, in both
>>>>>>| cases, we did not have the time to study one thousand responses, so
>>>>>>| there would have been no difference. In fact, even the 80 responses
>>>>>>| that Greece studied, we did not study at the level of scrutiny that is
>>>>>>| required when you inspect a standard. There was no time for that. What
>>>>>>| we did was glance through, and make fast decisions based on what seems
>>>>>>| right at a quick glance.
>>>>>> `----
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://elot.ece.ntua.gr/te48/ooxml/brm-clarifications
>>>>>
>>>>> I know that standardisation is a public service, but I think in a case
>>>>> like this, where a single company is quite clearly pushing their own
>>>>> agenda, knowingly against an existing standard which we've already paid
>>>>> for (ODF), then that company should have to pay for the work involved.
>>>>>
>>>>> Currently, we have delegates from companies and governments all over the
>>>>> world, the cost must be in the millions, with the singular purpose of
>>>>> pushing through a clearly immature specification into an environment
>>>>> where there is already a superior one.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is a abuse of the system, and a very expensive one. It seems to be
>>>>> akin to the legal viewpoint around "contempt of court". This appears to
>>>>> be "contempt of ISO" and should be handled in a similar way.
>>>>
>>>> Europe will probably have Microsoft fine for this, but it might take time
>>>> for ISO to recover (ECMA is already ruined). Bush, as usual, doesn't give
>>>> a damn... "is OXML like teh google on the internets?"
>>>>
>>>
>>> ISO really needs to reconsider its processes. Equally, we really *must*
>>> only permit standards which are not patent encumbered; the decision to
>>> move away from that, pushed by the US, was an awful one.
>>
>> You ought to see the shots people take at ISO in FOSS or Linux forums at the
>> moment. What a joke it has become. ISO isn't quite what it used to be.
>> Microsoft dethroned or scared away the core people, just like it always does
>> (bullying, manipulation, intimidation). I can fetch you the links if you are
>> interested. it would make your blood boil.
>>
>
> Bang a few together, let's have a look!
Getting the good refs might take a while, but have a look:
Tracking the Man with the Gavel: Alex Brown on the BRM
,----[ Quote ]
| I found Alex's last comment particularly interesting from a strategic point
| of view. As I've repeatedly noted in a variety of prior blog entries over
| the past two years, Microsoft has adopted a high risk strategy by pushing
| OOXML so aggressively through the Ecma, and then the ISO/IEC JTC1 process.
| Already, it's received one set back, in that its failure to gain approval in
| the first voting period has resulted in much bad press, and a seven month
| delay (through the expiration of the second consideration period, which will
| end on March 30).
`----
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080130062110266
That's ISO not I-S-O
,----[ Quote ]
| Ken Holman, who this week steps down from the role as the international
| secretary of the ISO subcommittee responsible for the Standard Generalized
| Markup Language(SGML), gave a briefing on ISO and related matters during the
| conference's lightening round sessions Tuesday night.
|
| [...]
|
| Now there is talk of making a fourth working group to handle office documents
| formats. While now they are usually handled by WG 1 or WG 2, the volume of
| work required of ODF and OOXML is threatening to overwhelm the members of
| those groups.
|
| "Is there going to be a WG 4? Stay tuned," Holman said.
`----
http://www.gcn.com/blogs/tech/45556.html
OOXML Questions Microsoft Cannot Answer in Geneva
,----[ Quote ]
| At Left: Highly respected Martin Bryan. As outgoing Conveyor of ISO/IEC
| JTC1/SC34 WG1 he accused MS of stacking his group and said, “The days of open
| standards development are fast disappearing. Instead we are
| getting ’standardization by corporation,’ something I have been fighting
| against for the 20 years I have served on ISO committees.”
|
| The trend is that Microsoft is opening up the boring legacy bits of OOXML, in
| stupefying detail, while neglecting to document the pieces actually needed
| for interoperability at a competitive level, like macros, scripting,
| encryption, etc. In essence, Microsoft is opening up and releasing the file
| format information that competitors like OpenOffice.org have already figured
| out on their own, while still at the same time restricting access to the
| information needed to compete. And the more MS realizes it has to open up the
| specification, deprecate and modernize OOXML, what do you get? You get XML.
| XML is XML. Strip out the non-XML garbage from OOXML and you will have the
| OpenDocument Format.
|
| [...]
|
| We need for MICROSOFT TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. Rather than hiding all the
| information we need and trying to cloak OOXML as ODF, we ask Microsoft to
| please get off the sinking ship, collaborate with the global community (which
| will welcome Microsoft) and help develop one universal file format for all.
| Long term, Microsoft can only benefit from cooperating with the market!
`----
http://www.fanaticattack.com/2008/ooxml-questions-microsoft-cannot-answer-in-geneva.html
There are some better ones that show confessions of the runaways.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Apprentice - fancy word for "slave"
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
|
|
