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Microsoft's Lobbying In Massachusetts

Posted by kdawson on from the schmandards dept.

Andy Updegrove writes "Carol Sliwa at ComputerWorld has posted two excellent stories just now on ODF in Massachusetts, based on over 300 emails secured under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (the local analogue of the Federal Freedom of Information Act). The longer and more intriguing article focuses on Microsoft's lobbying efforts in Massachusetts, and confirms, as I reported last week, that Microsoft lobbyist Brian Burke was spearheading an effort to bring pressure on the state's Information Technology Division (ITD) by promoting an amendment that would have taken away much of the ITD's power to make technology policy. The article goes on to describe the back-channel negotiations between State CIO Louis Gutierrez and Microsoft's Alan Yates, and the way that Microsoft played the lobbying card throughout those discussions in an effort to protect its wildly profitable Office software franchise against potential erosion by competing products that support ODF." Andy has a blog entry on the lobbying effort.

9 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Call a spade a spade by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    s/to/too

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    This guy's the limit!
  2. Is that the sound... by Sneakernets · · Score: 2, Funny

    Of a dying company?

    --
    "No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson
    1. Re:Is that the sound... by Shadow-isoHunt · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't know, has netcraft confirmed it?

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      www.isoHunt.com
  3. Re:ODF has usability issues? by Mateo_LeFou · · Score: 3, Funny

    heh. you took the words out of my mouth.

    In related news, has anyone fixed the usability issues that Dvorak discovered for us in CSS?

    --
    My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
  4. Gov Microsoft by netsfr · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wasn't there an article recently about Gates for President??? I think MSFT is attacking on several fronts now...

  5. I agree! by Darlantan · · Score: 3, Funny

    We can't possibly let these "information technology" people decide what to do with our inter-nets resources. They obviously don't understand the critical nature of how this technology works. Why, just this Friday I sent an email to one of my contacts in the state government there, and their internets were so clogged that it still hasn't arrived. If they can't keep their system of tubes clean, how can we possibly expect them to make good decisions about what prograpplications are wise to run on their computers?

    Sincerely,
    Sen. Stevens.

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    Fill in your four or five-letter word of wisdom here _ _ _ _ _.
  6. Re:Be careful what you wish for.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    If Microsoft shipped shrink wrapped boxes of horse shit they'd still dominate. Yay.
    When Microsoft ships shrink wrapped boxes of horse shit they still dominate. Yay.
    There, I fixed that for you.

    Microsoft ships shrink wrapped boxes of horse shit and they still dominate. Yay.

    It needed still more fixing.

  7. Re:Call a spade a spade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    s/usu/sudio

  8. Re:Be careful what you wish for.... by jZnat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Okay, if Microsoft shipped shrink-wrapped boxes of horse shit labelled as as Windows® HorseShit® Professional 2007 (with Workgroups), they'd still dominate.

    --
    'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'