Using Closed Standards To Pay For Open Ones

An anonymous reader points to a story at NewsForge, writing "EGOVOS analyzes the recently passed South African OSS plan and proposes a great way to fund Open Source education and development until companies comply with open standards. Microsoft pays a 10% penalty until their products comply with open standards. That would be billions of dollars to Open Source to compensate for an unlevel playing field until it is leveled. All the policy guidelines for governments are worth reading. This looks like a workable plan from a credible group." Reader johndiii clarifies: "From what I have been able to see, the strategy document is 'proposed,' not 'recently passed,' and is not yet official policy of the South African government."

Comments

Microsoft software vs. privately modified BSD code

[CFrankBernard]

If someone takes code currently under the BSD license, modifies it, makes the changes private, and sells it for a profit, would they be subject to penalties too?

What about OSS not being standard compliant

[Branka96]

Is gcc compliant with the C++ Standard, ISO/IEC 14882? I don't think so. Does the IJG's JPEG library fully implement CCITT T.81. I don't think so. Who determines whether a piece of software is compliant. For something like C++ there is no process in place.