Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Opposing California Open Doc Bill
ZJMX writes "Microsoft is going through its email and phone lists asking people to support their opposition to California A.B. 1668 — 'Open Document Format, Open Source' — by writing to the California Assemblymen involved in this bill (contact info in the link). Apparently they fear that California will join Massachusetts in wanting documents based on open standards in their government. Let's see if this community can raise as much support for the California ODF bill as Microsoft can raise opposition."
I once heard this in a different (The "Open" Group) context, but an adaptation seems appropriate here:
The only thing "Open" about Microsoft is your wallet.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
Dear Representative Smith:
One of Microsoft's innovations is our ability to help millions of customers with our proprietary file formats. If large purchasers, such as your state government, wrongly conclude that an open standard is in their best interest, Microsoft's proprietary file format becomes substantially less valuable to all Americans, and indeed, the world.
So let us describe to you what will happen if this proposal becomes reality:
(1) Microsoft will need to compete with other products based on attributes other than file format. In turn, Microsoft products will rise in price by millions of dollars, leading to riots in your neighborhood.
(2) This will forever make the USA a 3rd world country. China will be willing to step in and take over Microsoft's responsibility as the engine of the American economy.
(3) An American innovator and icon will no longer be the richest man in the world. Americans will no longer be proud or patriotic; most, if not all, will end up voting against you. Microsoft will no longer be a name loved by millions of children - instead, it could be "Al Jezerra".
Please make your decision carefully. We have included a check of $50,000 to put towards your next campaign. See you at the golf tournament next week!
Consider that I have documents in WP5.1 format, a text-editor from Clarkson University, Yeah Write files, some IBM PC-Write docs, and both MS Word and, lest we forget, MS Works files.
Now, if any of these were in Open Doc format, I would have full access to them.
Finally, consider that in the past I have said some really stupid things, and I'm not even a politician. I certainly don't want anyone to be able to figure out what I have said. Thus, I am in favor of closed source formats that go way, way out of date just so I can be sure that what I say today will be rendered even more incomprehensible in the future.
Thank you.
--
This post best read before July 18, 2015 when it will become unreadable.
Yeah, I'm as old as my UID would suggest.
I have bad karma. What do I care what you think?
Office is the best spreedsheet, email and word processing platform on the market... Thats why.
Who is 'Open Doc Bill' and why does Microsoft oppose his going to California?
;-)
No time to RTFA but lots of time to post and read replies!
Give a man a match: warm him for an instant. Douse him in petrol and set him aflame: warm him for the rest of his life.
You mean goatse wasn't just a representative corporate client?
I think you are missing the real issue here which is, why is a corporation interfering in the business of a duly elected Government, and telling it how to spend the Tax Payers money? (spend it on me?) What has happened to the sham democracy? How does this represent the interests of the people any better than a dictatorship in a third world country?
Ergo the good old US is not a democratic country. And does not honor the rule of law "for the people by the people" but the rule of money and the rule of force.
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?