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NZ, Sweden, Hungary Reflect OOXML Turmoil
A number of readers are sending news of the progress of Microsoft's attempt to get OOXML standardized by ISO. First off, New Zealand has voted "no" on the question. In Sweden, after the uproar following the "yes" vote there, a Microsoft representative has admitted buying Swedish OOXML votes (link in Swedish — follow the Read More... link below for some translated quotes). Computerworld has also picked up the Sweden story. Finally, from Hungary, reader ens0niq writes that the Minister of Economy and Transport has sent a letter to the General Director of the Hungarian Standards Institution requiring that the June 25 "yes" vote be re-done because of irregularities. Our correspondent notes, however, that many Microsoft partners have joined the voting committee in the meanwhile, so the result could be a replay of Sweden's experience.
Here are some quotes from the Swedish article translated by our anonymous correspondent.
-We have been informing our business partners about the process at SIS. What is going on, what the time plan is and that Microsoft thinks it is good if OOXML becomes a standard.
-In a letter from Microsoft, our business partners were informed that they were "expected" to participate in the SIS meeting and vote yes. As a compensation they would get "market benefits" and extra support in terms of Microsoft resources.
-This was a mistake and the letter was sent by a single employee on his own initiative without sanctions from Microsoft. He also quickly realised his mistake and tried to recall the letter.
-I can understand the critique about coup-like voting. But I claim the voters knew the issue well and had their own interest in OOXML becoming an ISO standard.
(Interviewer) -Has this harmed Microsoft?
-Time will tell. But almost all customers we have been talking to thinks it would be good if OOXML became an ISO standard.
Here are some quotes from the Swedish article translated by our anonymous correspondent.
-We have been informing our business partners about the process at SIS. What is going on, what the time plan is and that Microsoft thinks it is good if OOXML becomes a standard.
-In a letter from Microsoft, our business partners were informed that they were "expected" to participate in the SIS meeting and vote yes. As a compensation they would get "market benefits" and extra support in terms of Microsoft resources.
-This was a mistake and the letter was sent by a single employee on his own initiative without sanctions from Microsoft. He also quickly realised his mistake and tried to recall the letter.
-I can understand the critique about coup-like voting. But I claim the voters knew the issue well and had their own interest in OOXML becoming an ISO standard.
(Interviewer) -Has this harmed Microsoft?
-Time will tell. But almost all customers we have been talking to thinks it would be good if OOXML became an ISO standard.
who just uttered "Fucking Word!", I can't imagine why they'd have to buy the vote...
-Matthew Riley "TofuMatt" MacPherson
I have a website
>But I claim the voters knew the issue well and had their own interest in OOXML becoming an ISO standard.
If this is true, then why
1) does MS tell their partners in the letter on which arguments for OOMXL they should use? MS even advises their partners to not use "too technical" arguments (are there "technical" arguments in favour of OOMXL anyway??).
2) does MS tell their partners to go to one or two meetings AFTER the voting to prove they are not only in it for this single vote?
Yeah, I know, nothing new here. Just needed to vent
Capitalism: When it uses the carrot, it's called democracy. When it uses the stick, it's called fascism.
It's just a simple excuse that people can't counter easily. Everybody knows it's effectively Microsoft the corporation that sent those letters, but for Microsoft it's simple to use a, real or imagined, employee as shield.
Had it been a real rogue employee that had sent those letters then we'd be hearing he/she had been fired instantly - since this is effectively fraud/falsification in the company's name. We haven't seen any such firing, hence it must be supported from higher above.
The problem for Microsoft is how much publicity this story got. Apparently more than they had anticipated.
Fight for your digital freedom, join the EFF *now*: http://www.eff.org/support/
Phyrric victory indeed.
This one is simply devastating. I've made copies of all the articles and documentation- including the spin statement where they spin "It was still within the rules" for the Microsoft partners to join the ratifying body.
Now what I will do with those documents is send them to my board of directors. They will read them.
The result: I have the power when needed to say to Microsoft "Sorry, we like your products, but we can't support your business methods"
I've been reducing the Microsoft presence in my datacenter for a year or so and deploying Microsoft products only where they make sense. That's about 50% of the time, and usually on the desktop.
I don't have a lot of power to be the catalyst for change, and Microsoft isn't going anywhere (Thankfully, they make some good products). However, if I send the Microsoft rep packing enough times with negative comments about ethics... perhaps in a small way I can make things better.
Another consultant who stuck it out.
"We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx..."
OOXML seems to be, from a technical standpoint, such a poorly constructed format that voting on whether or not to name it a standard is just silly. It should have been turned down long ago for its flagrant stupidities and sent back to Redmond with a post-it saying "nice joke!" attached.
While Americans consider graft to be wrong, many American companies find the only way to access foreign markets is to pay off the corrupt gatekeepers.
If you bribe someone in a foreign country, it is called graft/corruption/bribery/etc and is a crime.
If you do that in America, it is called 'lobbying' and is as American as apple pie. If only those corrupt foreigners stop calling it bribery and call it lobbying, the pure as milk American companies would not have to engage in this crime.
I didn't know what a Phyrric victory was, so I looked it up. Here it is for anyone else curious:
King Pyrrhus of Epirus fought a war against the Romans in 280BC. He won the war, but in the process lost most of his soldiers, commanders and friends.
The Romans lost more men in the battle, but had plenty of new men to take their place. Pyrrhus on the other had little left.
He famously said: "Another such victory over the Romans and we are undone."