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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.

5 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. OMG! by Timesprout · · Score: -1, Troll

    Large corporation tries to do business like all large corporations in the US. What is the world coming to!

    I am more interested to see if the ODF have addressed the usability issues which were raised.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  2. Check out Microsoft's wrongdoing! by CensorsAreBadPeople · · Score: -1, Troll

    http://malfy.org/

  3. #i8c.trollt4lk.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Don't be a sling that have raged A PREVIOUSLY ME! It's official if you don't sse. The number it simple,

  4. haha by Havoc_Chaotix · · Score: 0, Troll

    What results. The end of most regular everyday needs in America will be replaced by the huge wave of monopoly. Just kidding, but imagine what that would be like. Micro$oft as our GOVERMENT! Why does M$ think they can mess with everything? Or do they just want are money? ~Havoc~

  5. Microsoft used to be almost the model corporation by MikeRT · · Score: -1, Troll

    for leftists. Too busy fighting in the economy to get involved in any big way in politics. Then they provoked the ire of the Clinton Administration and well, Microsoft has discovered the joys of lobbying!

    What's ironic about it is that Linux and OSX would still have enjoyed tremendous success if the antitrust case never happened. Both of those have gotten where they are squarely on technical and aesthetic grounds (both in the latter's case). The anti-trust case was nothing more than a few losers like Sun and Netscape whining and moaning about getting their asses kicked by Microsoft.

    Now, congratulations, people. You've awakened a sleeping giant. How do you like them apples?