Microsoft Lashes out at Massachusetts IT Decision

scoop writes "Infoweek is reporting that the plan to eliminate the use of Office by the Massachusetts state government (previously covered on Slashdot) has not gone over well with Microsoft. Microsoft's Yates said the company agrees with the adoption of XML but does not agree that the solution to "public records management is to force a single, less functional document format on all state agencies." Microsoft also states they will not support the OpenDocument format. Looks to me Microsoft is scared their biggest cash cow is in danger from a free alternative. Soon I'm sure we'll see a Microsoft funded comparison between Office and OpenOffice."

Comments

Re:MS will give it away

[sqlrob]

Linux is free, therefore it avoids TCO arguments...

open office is horrible

[dialsoft]

MS office while expensive is 100's of times better than openoffice. Open office doesnt work half the time.

Because you're not an idiot

[rsilvergun]

and you can read and write above a 3rd grade level. Lots of people can't do that. The idea would be to have all the information needed or wanted readily at hand, so that someone too stupid to browse a web site could find it.

Video is useful for the illiterate (ditto pictures) and voip's for the dumb who can't look up phone #'s. In addition to the stupid, you've also got people who can't speak english let alone read it. Ya, that sucks and probably shouldn't happen, but they're a powerful minority, and won't be a minority for too much longer...

Oh, and you don't want to print, because someone has to pay for those printouts.