ODF Threat to Microsoft in US Governments Grows

Tookis writes "Another setback for Microsoft has cropped up in the space of document formats in government organizations. The state of California has introduced a bill to make open document format (ODF) a mandatory requirement in the software used by state agencies. Similar legislation in Texas and Minnesota has added further to the pressure on Microsoft, which is pushing its own proprietary Office Open XML (OOXML) document format in the recently released Office 2007. The bill doesn't specify ODF by name, but instead requires the use of an open XML-based format."

Comments

In Soviet Russia...

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft a Threat to ODF

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[utopianfiat]

Not just in soviet russia...

Re:Define Open

[rtb61]

Only if you redefine the word open to mean closed, proprietary and subject to licence fees and patents, perhaps m$ just needs to buy out the Webster and Oxford English dictionary and it can redefine the language to suit it's own twisted world view.

In the year 2120

[planckscale]

I am a geezer IT guy working for the State. My boss comes up to me and says, "Junior", after you change your Depends, I need you to convert these files into something we can read. "Hmm," I say "these files were made with MS Word 12. The current version of Word is 21." "Just do it old man!" Okay, so bust out my trusty nix box, start vi and start wading through the mounds of crap, and come back to my boss. "Well, what did you find?" He asks.

"Nothing." I say, "...except for a string of text...'Girly men'."

"Girly men?" He says.

"Yes," I repeat, "Girly men!".

"Well damn it!" he says, "In what context??"

Mandating what?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a problem with government mandating technology even if they are vauge. The govermnet is typically backwards when compared to real organizations that need to exist on their own merits.

The real problem is they keep so much of their data in word documents and excel spreadsheets. We should not be voting for or supporting fools that seek to continue this trend.

If you want to be disruptive and make everyone switch from word and excel (which everyone has converters for nowadays) then lets make government get real and use technology rather than mearly storing paper on disk drives.

Re:Define Open

[lukfil]

It's almost like:
Q: What is the difference between a "People's Republic of ..." and "Republic of ..."
A: It's like the difference between a chair and an electric chair.

Re: you can too - CA assemblyperson

[Dareth]

Dear Mr./Ms./ Assembly Person of California,

I am a Louisiana resident who would like to ask you to support ODF as a standard file format for your state.

I do not reside in California, although I went there once for technical training and there was an earthquake.
I am not too eager to go back.

I assure you I will be writing my Louisiana assembly person about this issue in about 10 to 15 years when our state attempts to catch up to the rest of the country. Your state will be a role model for the rest of the nation.