When standards ain't standards
,----[ Quote ]
| ODF is also much simpler. It is functionally similar to OOXML, but comprises
| only 850 pages of code, compared to more than 6000 pages for OOXML.
|
| It is not hard to believe, as many in the standards community do, that
| Microsoft's whole strategy is to further entrench its global dominance and
| freeze out competitors.
|
| Microsoft could, after all, have adopted the ODF standard itself and not
| pursued OOXML. Ask yourself why it would develop a rival standard, then bully
| others into adopting it. We will know in a couple of weeks which way the ISO
| vote goes.
`----
http://www.smh.com.au/news/perspectives/when-standards-aint-standards/2008/03/11/1205125864040.html
Good article.
OOXML = new lock-in, new anti-GPL poison, more fragmentation. And this one does
not even discuss corruptions and briberies that OOXML is all about, so I'm
appending recent stories.
Yesterday:
Once again, what's wrong with OOXML
,----[ Quote ]
| To conclude, Microsoft have, with OOXML, shot themselves in both feet, then
| put the bloody stumps into their big mouth and chewed, hard and long. They
| created a fradulent process by corrupting ISO at a high level. They engaged
| national bodies in this process, then bought and bullied those bodies into
| voting “properly”. And when the committees refused to be intimidated, they
| went to ministers and tried to bribe them. They used their press and
| astroturfing budgets to sell this as a fair and necessary process. They
| pretended that they were the victim, of an autocratic ODF and a manipulative
| IBM.
`----
http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-46154/once-again-what-s-wrong-with-ooxml
Related:
Microsoft Looks for the Big Guns in OOXML In-Fighting
,----[ Quote ]
| Bill Gates has reportedly been making phone calls to the Secretary of Defense
| and the Secretary of Commerce to push the American National Standards
| Institute to ignore the votes of its advisory committees and vote "yes" on
| ISO standardizing Microsoft's Open Office XML (OOXML) format, the one in
| competition with the OpenDocument Format (ODF) pushed by IBM and Sun.
|
| Gates reportedly picked up the phone when the last INCITS ballot failed by
| one vote to support Microsoft.
`----
http://xml.sys-con.com/read/419573_p.htm
Conflict of interest
,----[ Quote ]
| In the latest demonstration of how broken the process is the US V1 technical
| committee voted on Friday to recommend approval of OOXML in a 17-4 vote,
| where Microsoft and no fewer than 11 of its business partners voted in favor
| of the specification. Am I the only one to see a major conflict of interest
| at play in this?
`----
http://lehors.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/conflict-of-interest/
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
Probe into votes on Microsoft standard
,----[ Quote ]
| The European Commission is investigating the process under which a key
| Microsoft document format could be adopted as an industry standard - a move
| that would carry significant commercial benefits for the software company.
|
| Officials at the European Commission's competition directorate have written
| to members of the International Organisation for Standardisation, asking how
| they prepared for votes in September and later this month on acceptance of
| Microsoft's OOXML document format as a worldwide standard. Without ISO
| acceptance, Microsoft could stand to lose business, particularly with
| government clients, some of which are becoming increasingly keen to use only
| ISO-certified software.
|
| The ISO process has been widely criticised, however, with some members of
| national standards' bodies accusing Microsoft and its rivals of attempting to
| influence the vote.
|
| Tim Bray, a member of the Canadian national standards body, called the
| procedure "complete, utter, unadulterated bullshit" in a recent blog posting.
|
| [...]
|
| In addition, in several countries, a large number of Microsoft partners
| joined the national standards organisations just ahead of a vote on the issue
| in September.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft said it openly encouraged its partners to participate in the ISO
| process, but was not funding any third parties doing so. The company said it
| would cooperate with the European Commission's inquiry.
`----
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/88e570a2-ea56-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
|
|
