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Stephane Rodriguez Dismantles Open XML
Elektroschock writes "Stephane Rodriguez, a reengineering specialist who became popular for his article on MS Office 2007 binary data, now comprehensively debunks Microsoft's new Open XML format. With small case studies he demonstrates the impossible challenges third-party developers will face. His conclusion: it is 'defective by design.' Next week members of the International Standard Organization are likely to approve the format as a second official ISO standard for office documents, even though most nations have submitted comments. Rodriguez claims he is 'not affiliated to any pro-MS or anti-MS party/org[anization]/ass[ociation].'"
Sent: Saturday, December 5 1998
Man, you're worse than my girlfriend for bringing up the past.
That mail is about 9 years old. I bet you've never changed your opinion about anything in the last 9 nine years and are exactly the same person after all this time. Next you'll be telling me that Linux is so rock-solid when compared to Windows 98.
I love how FOSSies always say they aren't affiliated with any pro- or anti- Lunix group. Notice he never claimed he was impartial: this guy is, just like most other Slashdotters, a dyed-in-the-wool FOSSie, gleefully spreading anti-MS FUD.
But... they are unaffiliated, so by their conservative propagandizing, that must mean they are unbiased.
Well, that perfectly describes Sun and Java. So that means Java is defective by design, since Sun doesn't use Java on a single one of their internal projects (it's banned by policy).
Your statement is also propaganda... because OOXML isn't a released product yet: it's still being developed. So obviously MS doesn't have any products using OOXML. But Java is out in the wild, and has been for years. So I guess all you FOSSies are going to stop using the "defective by design" Java. Right?
And what about teh Lunix? They've been releasing new versions of the kernel since it was released. It's a shame they couldn't have been bothered to code it right the first time. Or the second, third, forth, ad naseum times. So... Rodriguez is saying teh Lunix is "defective by design", as well (although actually, she may have a point. Even the guy in charge of "Lunix on teh desktop" quit in frustation: he was tired of putting a round peg into a sqare hole. Oh, and he blamed his failure on MS, so you can be assured he was a true FOSSie).
Dude. You do realize that OpenOffice also has OLE and SSPI support, right? These are platform specific features, and any office product on Windows has to support them, or they won't be very popular.
You're not coming up with some kind of revelation. It's more of a "Duh, no shit sherlock".
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No it is "design by committee". ISO or ECMA standards are not supposed to work. When they do, it is pure coincidence.
...if he didn't use such emotive terms as "exploding," and "minefield." It really doesn't help him sound objective when the topic he's talking about is file formats for office software, rather than undetonated mines which is what, from that wording, you might be expecting him to be talking about with such language.
Of course, it's no accident that he doesn't sound objective...it's because he isn't. I have no problem whatsoever believing that Microsoft's file standard proposals are more than likely harmful, given their track record, but I'd prefer to read an account of such from someone who doesn't sound quite so strongly like a full member of the cult of Richard Stallman.
One other thing I really wish FSF cultists could do is actually come up with your own terminology for things, rather than simply parroting your leader's loaded language ad nauseum.
If, as people have said, it's "disingenuous" of me to refer to the FSF as a cult, then maybe it's also equally disingenuous of the group's supporters to keep acting so much like cult members. You know the old saying...
"If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck..."
Please Mr. Miguel de Icaza STOP being an hypocrite! Thank you.