Breaking News: India's Final Vote On MS Office File Standard Is 'NO'
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| Sources tell tech2.com that with 13 Against, 1 Abstain and 5 For, the
| technical committee entrusted with deciding whether Microsoft-backed OXML
| format will be accepted, has stuck by its earlier decision.
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http://www.tech2.com/india/news/software/breaking-news-indias-final-vote-on-ms-office-file-standard-is-no/32081/0
Despite the fiasco, maybe bribery. See links at the bottom. Hard times in New
Zealand as well:
Microsoft NZ head warns of OOXML no vote
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| According to ISO's own website, it became apparent during its February
| meeting in Geneva that it was not possible for all comments raised by
| participating nations to be reviewed individually so a voting procedure to
| decide the proposed modifications was agreed to.
|
| "A total of 43 resolutions, involving dispositions or groups of dispositions,
| were accepted, most of them unanimously, some by consensus and only four by
| simple majority; four were refused."
|
| InternetNZ executive director Keith Davidson continued, "ODF appears to be
| the suitable generic international standard. Endorsing another standard such
| as OOXML could threaten the open and interoperable tenets on which the
| Internet is built.
|
| "We urge Standards New Zealand and other national standards bodies worldwide
| to vote against adoption of OOXML."
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http://m-net.net.nz/2254/latest-news/latest-news/microsoft-nz-head-warns-of-ooxml-no-vote-17.php
Related:
Microsoft influencing partner NGOs to support OOXML in India
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| 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.
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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
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| 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.
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http://standardsandfreedom.net/index.php/2008/02/29/becoming-a-better-company-microsoft-helps-ngos-in-india/
Microsoft "persuades" NGOs to support OOXML
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| 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.
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http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/02/microsoft-persuades-ngos-to-support.html
Developers around the world, unite!
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| 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
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| 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)
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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/
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