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Dutch ODF Plan Could Sideline Microsoft

Posted by kdawson on from the because-it's-our-data dept.

Yeti7226 sends word of a discussion coming up Wednesday in the parliament of The Netherlands that could result in mandated use of Open Document Format at government agencies there. If the plan is enacted, public-sector organizations, as well as the government, would have to transition to using ODF by 2010. Microsoft Netherlands has lobbied hard against the provision. Backers say it doesn't exclude Microsoft, because ODF can be produced out of MS Office via the use of plugins. A funder of the OpenDoc Society invited Microsoft to join that organization, saying: "This plan is not about Microsoft, it's about ensuring the perpetual availability of data without any obstacles."

3 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Of course... by SiriusStarr · · Score: -1, Troll

    ...Microsoft will object to anything that threatens their proprietary, monopolistic stranglehold on office computing. I find it refreshing that governments are considering switching to a potentially more accessible, widespread format. Hopefully we will start to see more and more transitioning to the more friendly, open formats; I for one will buy the first iPod-clone that supports Vorbis. And as a Linux user I just have to laugh. Still, you have to respect Microsoft's market power; consider, for example, that Open Office was designed specifically to look as close to MS Office as possible. MS is what people are used to; it is what they learned on and what they instinctually default to (even Mac users use MS Office). And so, people will continue to resist anything that doesn't look and feel like Gates, even if it's an improvement, so we will keep seeing the open-source clones of proprietary programs, e.g. MS Office-Open Office, Photoshop-GIMP, etc.

    --
    Fear the penguin.
  2. Re:Open Data is also mentioned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Mod Parent -1, Child beater

  3. Re:Misleading Title on the Article by Shados · · Score: 0, Troll

    You mention that it has all changed with 2007, that people are looking at alternatives or downgrading like they are with Vista, you never explain where the hell you're getting that from?

    2007 is perfectly backward compatible, 2003 is forward compatible... so I don't see why because of 2007, someone would buy 2003?