Implementation-defined (Not really)
,----[ Quote ]
| Here begins the lesson on Embrace, Extend and Extinguish (EEE). Classically,
| this technique is used to perpetuate vendor lock-in by introducing small
| incompatibilities into a standard interface, in order to prevent effective
| interoperability, or (shudder) even substitutability of competing products
| based on that interface. This EEE strategy has worked well so far for
| Microsoft, with the web browser, with Java, with Kerberos, etc. It is
| interesting to note that this technique can work equally well with
| Microsoft's own standards, like OOXML.
|
| [...]
|
| So, by failing to include this in their conformance clause, OOXML's use of
| the term "implementation-defined" is toothless. It just means "We don't want
| to tell you this information" or "We don't want to interoperate". Conformant
| applications are not required to actually document how they extend the
| standard. You can look at Microsoft Office 2007 as a prime example. Where is
| this documentation that explains how Office 2007 implements
| these "implementation-defined" features? How is interoperability promoted
| without this?
`----
http://www.robweir.com/blog/2008/03/implementation-defined-not-really.html
Related:
Expert Testimony of Ronald Alepin in Comes v. Microsoft - Embrace, Extend,
Extinguish
,----[ Quote ]
| You'll hear some emails read aloud, one of Bill Gates's, an email from
| 1996 about Java, where he says he was losing sleep over how great
| Java was, and you'll see a strategy he suggested -- "fully
| supporting Java and extending it in a Windows/Microsoft way".
|
| [...]
|
| Well, when applets are cross-platform, it expands the number of
| applications that are available to you so you can go to a website.
| And if you have a Linux computer or a Macintosh computer or a Windows 3.1
| computer, you can get an application and it will run.
|
| You don't have to either select a specific application or hope that the
| independent software vendor or the website created the application for your
| platform. So it would increase the number of applications available to you.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070108020408557
Comes v. Microsoft Resumes Today
,----[ Quote ]
| "Ronald Alepin, an independent consultant and former CTO for Fujitsu,
| disputed the idea that Microsoft had been an innovator in the field.
| He said that interoperability protocols were developed by companies
| other than Microsoft, and that Microsoft has simply extended the
| protocols and then refused to disclose the extensions. In so doing,
| he told the court, Microsoft "has hijacked standard
| interoperability protocols agreed by the entire industry."
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070104031852847
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