Dutch Government Adopts Open Source Software Initiative

christian.einfeldt writes "The Dutch government has set a target date of April 2008 for its agencies to start preferentially using open standards-based software. Organizations in the government will still be able to use proprietary software and formats ... but will have to justify it. A Microsoft Netherlands spokesman claims that Microsoft's Office productivity suite will still be used widely in the Dutch government until April, and that Microsoft Office will comply with the new Dutch rules once Microsoft's so-called "Open Office XML" standard is approved as an international ISO standard in February."

Comments

Pansies

[explosivejared]

Government organizations will still be able to use proprietary software and formats but will have to justify it under the new policy, ministry spokesman Edwin van Scherrenburg said.

What a bunch of tulip smelling, wooden show wearing, low lying pansies. If you go open, go open all the way. This makes sick. Smell your tulips, wear your wooden shoes, and pronounce your j's as y's while the world laughs at your lack of decisiveness. Bunch of orange clad pansies if you ask me.

OOXML is a misnomer, use MSXML instead.

[Erris]

Yes, OOXML is a misnomer. Because no one else can modify or fully implement ooxml the name should be "msxml". I suggest that we all use this term to describe the thing M$ is trying to push. It's short and impossible to confuse with anything else.

Re:OOXML is a misnomer, use MSXML instead.

[Erris]

MSXML is an ActiveX control for dealing with XML stuff, such as AJAX.

Few people actually know that and no one really cares. MSXML is easy to write and say and it gets the point across. Five syllables is better than eight.

You are a zealot

[Anonymous Coward]

People use MS Office because it is a professional tool, unlike Open Office, which is a joke in comparison.

Re:Everyone understands Freedom.

[Erris]

I'm not buying into self restraint when it comes to freedom.

Either explain and prove them wrong and thus antagonize them, (these top dogs don't like to be proven wrong) or leave them alone and get blocked by them.

You can say that about anything, not just the example "security through obscurity" non argument. When you get an audience with a "top dog," you owe it to the dog and yourself to speak your mind. OpenBSD has a reputation that pretty much kills this problem. Moves by IBM, Sun and Apple also go a long way. Speaking out of both sides of your mouth is the surest way to get bounced. Why bother, when it's easy enough to present the benefits of freedom politely?

even MSFT is coming out with, "ours is also an open standard" line

Have they ever said anything different? M$ has always used smoke and mirror language like, "industry standard" and "compatible" to promote itself.

There are many closed source vendors who would like to get just a piece of MSFT's market share. It would be foolish for the open-standards advocates not to include them in the big tent. Don't antagonize these people whose interests are aligned with ours.

Who's left that thinks like that? Sun, Apple, IBM, HP, Sharp, Sony and everyone else is rushing into the free software world. M$'s actions have made clear the downside of non free software and they all know where their interests really are. Marketshare means nothing if you have to sacrifice your freedom to gain it. Whoever takes control will also take the market and present everyone with M$ under a different name.