Microsoft Joins OpenDocument Alliance

Jim writes "Microsoft has joined a committee that has a key role in the ratification of OpenDocument as an international standard, leading to accusations that it intends to sabotage the process. Microsoft has denied this accusation, claiming that the only reason why Microsoft employee Jim Thatcher has joined the group was to get involved in the ISO standardisation of its own file format." From the article: "'There sits Microsoft, waiting, like a spider,' wrote Jones, in a posting on her site. 'I am imagining ODF plodding along, with Microsoft asking questions, fine-combing through the comments, did you mean this or that?, getting bogged down in minutia until, lo and behold, either Microsoft's XML makes it as an ISO standard first, or they arrive neck and neck.'" More information here on a subject we touched on in a recent Slashback. update a few readers have asked for the clarification that MSFT has not joined ODF, but rather the "INCITS/V1 Technical Committee"

Comments

eerily familiar

[yagu]

I don't know if Microsoft's motivation is sabotage by joining ODF, but from the article, an eerily familiar description:

"There sits Microsoft, waiting, like a spider," wrote Jones (Pamela), in a posting on her site. "I am imagining ODF plodding along, with Microsoft asking questions, fine-combing through the comments, 'did you mean this or that?', getting bogged down in minutia until, lo and behold, either Microsoft's XML makes it as an ISO standard first, or they arrive neck and neck."

(BTW, isn't there a Donovan song about Pamela Jones?)

Ahem, back to the topic... I worked on a group from our company and Microsoft on an e-commerce soon-to-be-standard (related to xml), and Microsoft's attitude, performance, and etiquette was embarrassing, annoying, and unprofessional. Aside from the unsurprising Microsoft employees' strong-arming the agenda, it was clear they had no affinity or appetite for any of our ideas. It was also equally clear that their intent was the final result would be their way or the highway.

Also, having worked briefly at Microsoft, the description resonates with the "triage" meetings at Microsoft -- at the time, the hot topic was IBM's MCA bus architecture, and ideas to make sure it would not be important in the emerging PC technology.

Superficially, it may be a good thing having Microsoft join ODF, but I wouldn't let them bring in or take out any pencils, paper, or recording devices of any kind of the meetings. Just my hunch, I don't trust them.

Re:eerily familiar

[MightyMartian]

We all know where this is going. We've been down the road before.

I'm beginning to think that an adequate punishment for Microsoft's monopolistic practices would be to forbid them to submit any standards, sit on any standards committee or have anything to do with drafting of standards. It's punitive and it would fuck up one of the big ways in which MS has been able to screw the industry.

FUD?

[Red Flayer]

FTA: ""In order for Jim to participate in the future Open XML File Format work he needs to have standing in JTC1 SC 34 [a committee that mirrors INCITS/V1] which mandates participation over time. His presence in this group will have no impact upon the voting process for the ODF standard. Just as we have a seat on the board of OASIS and have not participated in the ODF process there, we will not participate in the JTC1 process," said Jason Matusow, Microsoft's director of standards affairs, in a statement." (emphasis mine)

Anyone have any info on whether MS has truly laid off with OASIS and the ODF process there? Not to say that non-interference there means non-interference with Open XML, but it's a start.

Can you say OpenGL ARB?

[saha]

Microsoft managed to stall OpenGL 2.0 and other improvements for the longest time by claiming potential patent infringements with its vertex and pixel shader technologies. As a result OpenGL stalled for some time. Microsoft has since left the OpenGL ARB (Architecture Review Board) after doing the damage it needed to do. Deja vu.

Can't believe it hasn't been said yet...

[Recovering Hater]

Embrace and Extend?

Patent Disclosure?

[SydShamino]

Does this technical committee require full patent disclosure by all members? If so, might this help ODF by forcing Microsoft to state now if they have any patent claims on anything that makes it into the final standard?

I'd hate to see Microsoft secretly steer the committee towards something that, five years later, they would shut down as a patent violation. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened *cough*Rambus*cough*.

This is a positive step for MS

[Baldrson]

The government should either have forced MS to publish its DOS API in full back in 1983 so others could write competing operating systems to that API, or converted to a net present asset valuation tax base but failing all that the move by MS to open standards is the first real indication that they actually believe their material about having all this power due to having the best software -- as opposed to having a natural monopoly. Good for them.

There is always a first...

[Beefslaya]

I dont' neccesarrily think that Microsoft is out to destroy this committee.

Maybe Open Source is making a big enough dent in the market for them to realize that their proprietary crap isn't going to fly anymore. That their document formats aren't going to be the standard anymore, and that they better get on board or at least make an attempt at compatibility by integrating those formats in their suites, (ala .pdf, .xml, etc...)

The Flex projects at Adobe/Macromedia are starting to take hold, to the point that nobody is even taking a second look at Sparkle. Since the release of the Flex SDK, I've been all over it like white on rice.

Is MS Waking up? Maybe, but not probable...you are right...there's a fox in the hen house with feathers on it's head...trying to see what the hen's are planning...

Re:Conspiracy theories too soon

[marcosdumay]

" Guys: I am a member of the group that Microsoft joined"

Nice, can you explain, since you don't accept members whith problems with antitrust laws, why was Microsoft accepted?

Also, don't your group make decisions based on consensus, instead o majority? How do you think Microsoft (that assumed plublicaly to be against ODF) won't disturb the acceptance process?

You really want open standards?

[16K Ram Pack]

Start doing something about it!

If you see a document on a site that's a .doc, write to the site owner, telling them that making it available as a pdf would be more useable and font-friendly. Tell them that they can either get a free printer driver to create this from their software, or if they want to, use OpenOffice.org, an office suite that can easily make PDFs, which incidentally is free. And that if they want, you'll send them a CV in the post.

Sitting back and complaining about Microsoft's domination isn't going to change anything. Piece by piece, deconstruction of the customer base and word-of-mouth will work.