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Sensationalism: The Real Open-Source Security Risk
,----[ Quote ]
| I won't take InfoWorld to task for how it spins the story; this is news
| coverage, not an opinion piece. And it's a fair description of how Forrester
| wants to position its research. (I can't say the same thing about a
| subsequent InfoWorld blog post that accepts Forrester's conclusions without
| questioning them.)
|
| This taste leaves most readers hungry for details. How does Forrester
| define "open source?" Are we talking about desktop applications, server
| software, or both? Where does Forrester draw the line between enterprises and
| SMBs -- and how does that distinction blur the inevitable differences between
| how midsize and small businesses view these issues?
`----
http://www.bmighty.com/blog/main/archives/2009/06/a_recent_forres.html
Recent:
EU takes key step towards bloc-wide patent system
,----[ Quote ]
| Lobbyists for smaller firms welcomed the move.
|
| "We hope this development will give a new impetus to the conclusion of
| negotiations on the community patent," said Jonathan Zuck, president of the
| Association for Competitive Technology.
|
| "Small and medium-sized firms cannot wait for it, they need it today," he
| said.
`----
http://www.forexpros.com/news/financial-news/eu-takes-key-step-towards-bloc-wide-patent-system-38827
EU open-source document reflects Microsoft influence
,----[ Quote ]
| One such editor is Jonathan Zuck, president of the Association for
| Competitive Technology, a lobbying organization with strong ties to
| Microsoft. There is nothing wrong with Microsoft making its voice heard in
| the software strategy development process, as it stands to gain or lose much
| in the process, but it does make for some interesting political gamesmanship
| in the document.
|
| While the draft doesn't make it obvious who is saying what, there are
| numerous instances where editors have tried to soften the appeal of open
| source or downplay its significance, repeatedly trying to insist that open
| source not be called out as more significant than proprietary software.
`----
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10193433-16.html
How to Hijack an EU Open Source Strategy Paper
,----[ Quote ]
| Others as in Microsoft and mates.
|
| All-in-all, the modifications to the document provide a fascinating insight
| into how lobbyists operate in their attempt to neuter threats to their
| constituencies through the shameless evisceration and outright inversion of
| content. Fortunately, when the final strategy document comes out, we will be
| able to pinpoint exactly where ACT's agenda has been inserted. Of course,
| before then we need to make the above document as widely known as possible,
| so that the relevant people at the European Union are aware of what's going
| on, and maybe even take action to prevent this gross distortion of the
| paper's purpose.
|
| In addition, we must ensure that Wikileaks can continue to provide its
| invaluable service. The world of openness – including open source - would be
| the poorer without it. To that end, we need to support its current call for
| funds to help it carry on its work, and I urge you to make a donation,
| however modest.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/how-hijack-eu-open-source-strategy-paper
European Commission OSS Strategy Draft, Mar 2009
,----[ Quote ]
| This file is an edited version of the EU OSS Strategy draft with the input of
| Jonathan Zuck, President of the Association for Competitive Technology, an
| organisation that has strong ties with Microsoft[1]
|
| The file is a draft for an expert panel formed by the European Commission.
| This panel is divided into workgroup (IPR, Open Source, digital life, etc.)
| ACT and Comptia have been infiltrating every workgroup, even the one on Open
| Source (WG 7). They are doing the best they can to drown any initiative that
| would not only promote OSS in Europe but also that could help Europe create a
| sucessful European software sector.
|
| The audience for this document could be journalists who would be interested
| in getting to know more how lobbies of all kind influence the European
| institutions. Here it is perhaps even more stringent as ACT is clearly an US
| organization with ties to Microsoft. Verifications might not be easy as this
| is an internal draft. The best contact might be commission personnel:
| Lars.PEDERSEN@xxxxxxxxxxxx ; Michel.Lacroix@xxxxxxxxxxxx
|
| It has been leaked as it is important to have the public know how actual
| policy making is being influenced by lobbies that are precisely under the
| legal scrutiny of the European Commission. The urgency of the publication of
| this document is real in the sense that outside pressure would foce the
| Commission to "clean the committees" or at least give a lesser credit to the
| work of this workgroup.
`----
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/European_Commission_OSS_Strategy_Draft%2C_Mar_2009
Related:
Bam! Comical Creese debunks OpenDocumentFormat Alliance
,----[ Quote ]
| You are free to inspect the irregularities website that documents few cases
| reported by the online press and blogs. We got much more reports on an
| informal base per email. The Swedish single employee story is not credible,
| actually committee stuffing took place in Sweden.
|
| On loopholes, that’s another subjective call, but since Microsoft
| competitors managed to establish control over a standards initiative with
| potentially dire consequences for one of Microsoft’s most important
| business domains, we are not surprised that Microsoft (legitimately,
| albeit with what some consider to be poor standards etiquette) exploited
| the loopholes. As we noted, we assume ISO will update its procedures to
| eliminate the loopholes in the future.
|
| What?
|
| Microsoft competitors managed to establish control over a standards
| initiative…
|
| What?
|
| Microsoft competitors managed to establish control over a standards
| initiative with potentially dire consequences for one of Microsoft’s most
| important business domains, we are not surprised that Microsoft …
| exploited the loopholes.
|
| ???
|
| but since Microsoft competitors managed to establish control over a
| standards initiative with potentially dire consequences for one of
| Microsoft’s most important business domains, we are not surprised that
| Microsoft (legitimately, albeit with what some consider to be poor
| standards etiquette) exploited the loopholes.
`----
http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-41447/bam-comical-creese-debunks-opendocumentformat-alliance
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
How OOXML vote could change all -- and nothing
,----[ Quote ]
| Whether the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) should adopt
| OOXML is a question that has fuelled a blog battle between supporters and
| opponents, ahead of this week's meeting in Geneva to finalize the text that
| will be put to the vote.
|
| But will the final decision even matter?
|
| Definitely not, according to Andy Updegrove, a Boston lawyer who works with
| industry standards bodies.
|
| [...]
|
| Whatever the outcome of the vote, that secrecy is one of the things that
| should change in the way IT standards are developed, Sutor said.
|
| "Minutes should be published. This secrecy ... has to end," he said.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=1776565889&rid=-50
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