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Microsoft's Influence On Upcoming ISO Vote

Posted by kdawson on from the 800-lb.-gorilla-thumb-on-the-scale dept.

christian.einfeldt writes "Microsoft has experienced some criticism for its handling of its bid to have OOXML accepted as an ISO standard, including the use of financial incentives to affect the Swedish national vote, which resulted in Sweden reversing its pro-Microsoft position; and failing to honor a promise to relinquish control of the OOXML specification if it gained ISO status. A few days ago Groklaw published an article that raises questions about Microsoft's influence on the upcoming February vote, citing concerns with the limitation of discussions of patent issues, public accountability of the process, and even irregularities with choosing the size of the room so as to limit the delegates opposed to OOXML ISO status, as had been done in the past."

79 comments

  1. I hope its obvious by now by hax0r_this · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That Microsoft couldn't care less whether their format becomes an ISO standard. Nearly every document stored by every business in the world is stored in Microsoft formats at this point. They don't need their format to be accepted, they simply need to make sure that being an ISO standard is meaningless. They would seem to have succeeded.

    1. Re:I hope its obvious by now by pitdingo · · Score: 1, Insightful

      True. M$ could not loose in this process. If they win approval, they can trot the ISO certification around and say they have an "ISO standard" format. If they do not get approved, they will have corrupted the system so badly, ISO certifaction means nothing.

    2. Re:I hope its obvious by now by renegadesx · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's not so much that they care that much that their format is an ISO standard or not, its more about the following points

      1) When someone accuses Microsoft of not using open standards they will point to OOXML if it gets passed
      2) They dont want ODF to be more of a "standard" than OOXML, on paper or otherwise as it gives people incentives to switch even if it is a small amount.

      They have to be careful not to get to arrogent in the media, saying boldly ISO standards are meaningless, Microsoft standards have more meaning will expose them as bragging about not adopting standards and bragging about being a monopoly that wants to lock you in. That too could turn people away.

      --
      Make SELinux enforcing again!
    3. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      NB is a national body... the one from each nation that gets a vote at the ISO.

      BRM is the ballot resolution meeting... it's where all the nations get together and finalize the changes upon the document and then they go home to their respective countries and they decide whether they'll change their vote.

      So what this means in english is that anyone with copyright/patent/trademark/business-process problems should take that up outside the BRM because the BRM is only about the wording of the document.

      It's advising national bodies to take this up with the ITTF, which many of them are doing.

    4. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      I agree with you WRT basic office documents.

      Many companies (especially state/county) use scanning tech to save millions of docs that are NOT saved in MS format.

      I recently worked for a company that did document scanning work. The core product scanned in a lot more PDF and non-MS Office documents, than MS Office Word documents.

      With that being said, yes, I agree with you, far too many U.S business use the standard MS Office format. Which means they are locked-in to MS-Only crap for a long, long time. :-(

    5. Re:I hope its obvious by now by HiThere · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well, no. If they *do* get approved they will have corrupted the system so badly, ISO certification means nothing. If they don't get approved they will merely have jammed the channel so full of junk that nothing further can get approved. Most of those "representatives" will only show up to vote when MS tells them to. This makes it impossible to get a quorum unless MS is pushing it...and MS isn't interested in routine business.

      Or at least that's how I understand the matter. I remain uncertain. I also remain committed to odt files. (That's the extension, don't recall the acronym for the format. ODF?)

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    6. Re:I hope its obvious by now by KnightMB · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Nearly every document stored by every business in the world is stored in Microsoft formats at this point."

      Well I wasn't sure what to do with my mod points, but I just had to reply to this one. The Microsoft format, while very popular, is not "the" format for all and every business. I know many of private business and government agencies just in my area alone that use Open Office to store all documents. Converting to Microsoft word when someone just has to have it in that format. I've helped many more convert to some kind of Open Office or the likes format for many business. Business don't care what format it is, as long as it's portable and best of all is cheap (or free). I don't know how many IT admins have thank me for clearing up the tremendous trash that Microsoft builds up in their files to make a simple one page letter eat 10 times more space than an Open Office document of the exact same text on their file servers. It's nice to see letters and spreadsheets that don't eat up so much space for so little data inside (at least the data that the business cares about anyway).

      So yeah, it's popular, but the world certainly not 100% all Microsoft documents.

    7. Re:I hope its obvious by now by cromar · · Score: 1

      Ad too much :(

    8. Re:I hope its obvious by now by HeroreV · · Score: 4, Informative

      The problem of inactive members occurred in subcommittee 34 (SC34) of the joint technical committee between ISO and IEC (JTC1). It never affected all of ISO, and several specifications have been approved as standards by ISO since then. The problem still prevents SC34 from getting anything done.

      ISO has many committees, and most of them contain several subcommittees. SC34 of JTC1 is only one subcommittee among many. Many people think the problem of inactive members affects all of ISO, but it actually only affects a small part of ISO, and IEC is just as affected as ISO is.

      Microsoft has really hurt SC34 of JTC1, but ISO is far too large and important for comparatively puny Microsoft to screw over the entire thing.

    9. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you.

    10. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      You mean LOSE! LOSE LOSE LOSE! Damn it! Learn how to spell, people!

    11. Re:I hope its obvious by now by tsa · · Score: 1

      Speling is zooo last senturie.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    12. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Hymer · · Score: 1

      That's not so obvious... countries (and even corporations) has started to require ISO certified standards. That is partly MS own fault because of problems with backwards compatibility. If your government require a standard, you are out of business if you can't provide documents in that standard.
      ...and yes we have seen it before... when everybody shifted from the de-facto WordPerfect standard to the de-facto Word standard.

    13. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Business don't care what format it is, as long as it's portable and best of all is cheap (or free). And as long as it is the same format that all the other business partners are using. That just happens to be .doc, etc.
    14. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Osrin · · Score: 1

      Alex Brown, the BRM convenor, talks a little in his blog about the issues in SC34 and how things are not quite as they are portrayed in various discussions on the internet.

      http://adjb.net/index.php?entry=entry071215-123604

    15. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think they only succeed in making ISO obsolete if their crap is accepted by ISO as a standard. They're just handing the rope.

      Micro$oft has many very sharp people obviously calling the shots. It would be brilliant if it wasn't so greedy and evil. It's funny how they seem to be so good at everything except making an operating system...

    16. Re:I hope its obvious by now by blind+monkey+3 · · Score: 1

      It appears to me that you might be assisting in devaluing ISO standards by your statements. Please judge each action by it's own merit (even Microsoft actions which appear very unsavory in this episode by btw)

      --
      BM3
    17. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Nearly every document stored by every business in the world is stored in Microsoft formats at this point."

      Well that may be true to some extent; OpenOffice has a big, although under the radar, share of those MS Documents. I work in Sales for DSGi (PC World, Currys, Dixons) and everyone of ou computers has the whole OpenOffice.org suite in every store, as one image is used on all terminals. Do we sell or promote OpenOffice.org? You bet your shite we don't, MS Office all the way. Thing is as my example proves and another poster stated: Corporations will only get fleeced (and fleece each other) for so long..... it comes to an end eventually. When outsourcing hits; those expensive copies of MS Office look just that.....

      CAPTCHA: Forged.... heh yeah like the upcoming vote I guess

    18. Re:I hope its obvious by now by mrchaotica · · Score: 3, Insightful

      3) They want MSOXML to be eligible for use by governments that have regulations requiring "open standards."

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    19. Re:I hope its obvious by now by Z00L00K · · Score: 1
      The problem is that it's contagious. The problem will stick to the ISO organization as a whole - regardless.

      The value of ISO has been decreased - because the respect of the organization caused by this has a much larger effect than just a file format. It also means that if one company like Microsoft can buy a standard - so will other companies. I wouldn't be surprised if it already has happened and what we see here is the tip of an iceberg.

      So my tip of the day - go out and dig into other areas of ISO and see what comes up! We already know that Microsoft are big enough to buy their way out of anything by now. Maybe we'll see Ballmer for president of the US?

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    20. Re:I hope its obvious by now by jwo7777777 · · Score: 1

      Hyew meen LASST! LASST LASST LASST! Dam itt! Larn howe tooo spel, peepul!

    21. Re:I hope its obvious by now by link5280 · · Score: 1

      Isnt the whole point of OOXML becoming a standard to appease the EU?

      --
      Iraq billions
  2. In other news.... by ravenspear · · Score: 4, Funny

    All of the chairs were removed from the Microsoft board room as a contingency measure pending the outcome of the vote.

    1. Re:In other news.... by caluml · · Score: 1

      I'm amazed at how long chair jokes have remained funny for.

      --
      Get your own free personal location tracker
    2. Re:In other news.... by SimonInOz · · Score: 1

      For a moment there my mind drifted to thoughts of Queen Victoria, who had all the chairs removed from the Privy Council meeting chamber as she thought the meetings were getting too long (yes, it worked - try it!).

      Sorry. This is slashdot. History is bunk. Sorry.

      (They still don't get chairs - it's been a while now).

      --
      "Cats like plain crisps"
  3. Not true. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They're facing legislation requiring that government documents be kept in open formats. Yes, they're working on the governments directly to ensure that Microsoft Office isn't "excluded" whether "Office Open XML" is meaningfully open or not, but making their own ISO standard is insurance.

    And if they can pervert the ISO to their own ends, they can find plenty of other things to do with that power.

    Don't misunderstand, I agree insofar as you're saying that their lock-in won't evaporate even if they lose the battle to get OOXML rubber stamped, but it's only one piece of a tide that's going against them right now. Their lock-in is weaker now than it has been in ages, and those who want out are making their move now. It may or may not work in the end, but I wouldn't expect Microsoft to go down quietly.

    Anyone who plans to ever compete with Microsoft should be challenging them now. Once they get people to transition to Microsoft's newest stuff, they're going to be stronger than ever.

    1. Re:Not true. by dpilot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The fun will come when they convince government organizations that SharePoint is an "open standard." The phrase "lock-in" for Office formats is simply nothing at all compared to the way it applies to SharePoint.

      By the way, the New Slashdot Meme is to insist that Slashdot is full of knee-jerk anti-Microsofties, that Microsoft products really are the best available for the purposes they're used, and infer that Microsoft business practices really ain't Evil. No doubt they'll also revise things so that chair-throwing is just a friendly fatherly game of catch.

      None of it matters.

      Modern companies don't transcend their Creators. They survive, true, but they're never what they were under their Creators. Nobody drove IBM the way Watson drove it. Nobody drove Apple the way Jobs drove it. It takes time to fall, but remember, Gates isn't driving Microsoft any more.

      Microsoft WILL get OOXML approved as an ISO standard. They WILL lock-in governments all over the place into their formats. They will no doubt do some other dastardly things. But it just won't matter, in the long run. The fact is, they're big, they're fat, and they have company politics all over the place. They make *acceptable* products, but they compete based on their overwhelming market strength, not on their merit.

      The marketplace simply hasn't shifted enough yet to render their current impenetrable dominance irrelevant. Kind of like IBM and mainframes back in the 80's and 90's.

      --
      The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    2. Re:Not true. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      They're facing legislation requiring that government documents be kept in open formats.
      First, it's only a few governments, and those cases are not as black and white as Slashdot articles would have you believe. But even more than that, it really doesn't matter to Microsoft what one or two free-thinking European backwaters think or do, it's what the majority of Big Corporate Business does. And the reality is that Big Corporate Business loves Microsoft.
      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    3. Re:Not true. by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 5, Insightful

      First, it's only a few governments, and those cases are not as black and white as Slashdot articles would have you believe.

      Massachusetts, Sweden, the entire European Union all have proposed or passed open format laws. Mind you, the laws themselves are interpretable. Those writing the laws want the advantages of open standard formats, but most of the legislators have a limited understanding of the subject, and so may be tricked into approving things that are called "open" but which actually remove the benefits they are seeking. Still, this is a common trend and a significant number of governments are looking into this subject and some will certainly required an approved standard format (which is why MS is pursuing this farce).

      ...it's what the majority of Big Corporate Business does.

      How many big businesses do you suppose have to do business with governments including exchanging documents? So if all those companies then make provisions for handling ODF files, what is to stop other businesses from emulating the government and saving money on licensing? Exchanging documents is no longer a big problem, since everyone can handle ODF since it is required by so many governments.

      And the reality is that Big Corporate Business loves Microsoft.

      Corporate business, loves MS, but they also love IBM; especially in enterprise. You know what else they love, money. In particular they like making a "cost saving" move that catapults them into the limelight and sets them up for a big promotion. More and more American businesses are feeling the crunch these days and there has been some real trends towards alternatives, both OpenOffice and even the corporate version of Google docs and other, similar services.

      The truth is, MS doesn't like to compete either on price or features. They like to avoid competing using lock-in strategies and their file formats are their biggest customer lock-in. Government adoption of ODF undermines that lock-in and makes it easier for companies to use alternatives for some or all of their needs. Once Google and the like get their offerings to compete with the big, expensive CMS solutions in use by big corporations, I predict we'll see a lot more companies opting for all-in-one solutions that are better integrated than MSOffice+Documentum or Livelink. You know IBM will be pushing FileNet and Domino pretty hard.

      Will MS lose significant market share? Maybe, maybe not, but there is a real chance they will have to fight on price and features for the first time in a decade and that will be good for everyone (except MS).

    4. Re:Not true. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 0

      Massachusetts, Sweden, the entire European Union all have proposed or passed open format laws.
      And how did that go in Massachusetts? Lot's of things get proposed. What is relevant is what gets decided. And Massachusetts did not (unfortunately) ditch Microsoft. Likewise, resolutions to "embrace" open formats are virtually worthless because they are not binding. Which of these European Union countries have kicked the Microsoft habit? Which ones, please? Exactly none.
      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    5. Re:Not true. by bl8n8r · · Score: 3, Interesting

      > They make *acceptable* products

      Since when is it acceptable for software to allow remote install of keystroke loggers and malware? How about vendor lockin? Forced hardware upgrades? This is acceptable too? Microsoft software is *not* acceptable and that's the whole point behind alternatives. The market is shifting, it's just that the U.S.A. is being left behind -- by their own doing.

      --
      boycott slashdot February 10th - 17th check out: altSlashdot.org
    6. Re:Not true. by westlake · · Score: 1, Insightful
      it just won't matter, in the long run. The fact is, they're big, they're fat, and they have company politics all over the place. They make *acceptable* products, but they compete based on their overwhelming market strength, not on their merit.

      Office 2007 is more than merely "acceptable." The Geek who pretends otherwise is just blowing smoke.

      The New Slashdot Meme is to insist that Slashdot is full of knee-jerk anti-Microsofties, that Microsoft products really are the best available for the purposes they're used, and infer that Microsoft business practices really ain't Evil..

      Who do you think you are kidding?

      The Borg icon for Gates. The stained glass window. Microsoft spelled with a dollar sign. The inane and ridiculous flamepoint stories that appear on a slow news day. Twitter, twit, twit.

      Need I go on?

    7. Re:Not true. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody drove Apple the way Jobs drove it.


      What would have happened had Wozniak been at the wheel?
    8. Re:Not true. by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Which of these European Union countries have kicked the Microsoft habit? Which ones, please? Exactly none.

      So far:

      • Belguim - By law, from September 2007 on every federal government department must be able to read OpenDocument documents. From September 2008 on, all exchanges of revisable documents (texts, presentations, spreadsheets) between federal government agencies must occur in ODF.
      • Finland - the Ministry of Justice has chosen Open Office and thus the OpenDocument format as their main document format from the beginning of 2007. The decision has been made after deep research of ODF possibilities. Other ministries may follow.
      • Germany - about half of government offices use StarOffice or OpenOffice and ODF although no law or rule requires it.
      • Netherlands - From beginning of 2009 onwards OpenSource-software and the ODF will be the standard for reading, publishing and the exchange of information for all governmental organizations.
      • Australia - ODF is mandatory for the national archives
      • Argentina - one province has mandated ODF for all government use.
      • India - the national court system has mandated ODF as the format for all document exchange.
      • Japan - government hiring policy gives preference to programs that use ODF.
      • South Africa - ODF, ASCII, or UTF-8 is mandatory for all document exchange within the Dept. of Public Service.
      • Vietnam - all government systems are switching to OpenOffice and removing MSOffice (currently underway).

      Those are the ones I know about from a quick Google mining. I'd say it is a bit more than "none." It isn't a huge movement, yet, but each one makes the next easier.

    9. Re:Not true. by jayp00001 · · Score: 1

      If microsoft is not acceptable then why is the EU so hot to get microsoft to open their APIs? Perhaps they want to communicate to microsoft servers because they are acceptable. Perhaps MS Office is so popular because it's acceptable.

    10. Re:Not true. by Tony · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Office 2007 is more than merely "acceptable." The Geek who pretends otherwise is just blowing smoke.

      Bullshit. That might be you're opinion, but it's hardly Truth.

      I used it. The interface is OK, but really it's a re-arrangement of controls to make things look a little bit more like Apple Pages. It's better than MS-Office 97, sure, but that's about it. Performance is adequate. Layout sucks, and the final printed product isn't any better than older MS-Office products-- that is, hardly acceptable at all. (Compare it to a LaTeX document, for example, and the kerning is horrible.)

      It's OK. It's marginally better than OpenOffice. For casual users, it *sucks* compared to Apple's iWork suite. For business users, the incompatibilities with older versions of MS-Office (saving as older versions are about as good as importing into OpenOffice) means that a company is pretty much forced to upgrade as soon as a small percentage of the company gets it. (This isn't a problem in a company that strictly controls software purchases, of course.)

      The Borg icon for Gates. The stained glass window.

      Those are just funny, and you know it. If that disturbs you, perhaps you might consider yoga, or getting a dog.

      Microsoft spelled with a dollar sign. The inane and ridiculous flamepoint stories that appear on a slow news day.

      Fanboi-ism. Absolutely. Doesn't mean Microsoft isn't evil. Doesn't mean their products are good. Doesn't mean Microsoft hasn't set us back 12 years. That doesn't mean we're not right.

      Twitter, twit, twit.

      Ah. That helps your argument a lot.

      --
      Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
    11. Re:Not true. by arivanov · · Score: 4, Insightful
      (Compare it to a LaTeX document, for example, and the kerning is horrible.)

      Correct. It does not pass the standard test for document quality. Print "Microsoft [insert four letter word] Off" in a increasing font sizes in each. Compare. Observe for yourself (look at the ff and ft ligatures as well as capital F followed by lower case). It is sad when the latest top of the range product is easily beaten by something that is nearly 40 years old.

      Unfortunately, MSFT has taught the entire world that their sloppy half-arsed layout, ligatures and kerning is good enough. So 99.999% of the users will just say "What?".

      --
      Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
      http://www.sigsegv.cx/
    12. Re:Not true. by houghi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How many countries require closed format by law? I would say a lot less then there are laws that require open formats.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    13. Re:Not true. by rucs_hack · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You're a little wrong there, latex may be that old (I don't know its incept date), but it is the result of many years of gradual improvement and changes. Not all of it is that old.

      it's matured into a great tool, with features taking a long time to get just right.

      MS office on the other hand keeps being re-invented and added to in a sporadic fashion. Possibly it's a gradual maturity in house, but externally, to the many eyes, it keeps jumping forward to bright shiny new releases and expecting you to pay over and over.

      The main difference is that latex matures, whereas each major version of MS office ages. I own a copy of Office, and its bizarre that a program I bought in 2002 is now considered too old and needing to be replaced by it's manufacturer, even though it works perfectly well for me doing a task that hasn't actually changed in the slightest. At least it hasn't for me.

    14. Re:Not true. by PsychoPingu · · Score: 2, Informative

      Or perhaps it is because Europeans would like to migrate data away from Microsoft products, but require the APIs in order to be able to transition effectively?

    15. Re:Not true. by dpilot · · Score: 1

      If Woz had been at the wheel alone, I think Apple would have failed, but with some interesting products.

      If Woz had continued with Jobs, I think Apple would be bigger and better than it is, today.

      --
      The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    16. Re:Not true. by Atzanteol · · Score: 3, Funny

      In my day you could get candy for a penny. "Give me three pennies" we used to say. Then we'd go down to the river for swimming...

      Sorry, what were we discussing?

      --
      "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"

      - Charles Darwin
    17. Re:Not true. by Atzanteol · · Score: 1

      Are you people stupid? Microsoft didn't get where they are by just assuming Word will be accepted everywhere "just because." The see some clients muttering things about using open formats. They go out and get their document format certified as an "open standard" so they can put one more bullet point on their presentations.

      Sure, it's no silver bullet. But nothing is. It's yet another reason to choose Microsoft. "Oh, you want to use open standards? Our document format is ISO standard XXXX."

      Microsoft doesn't just sit back and wait for money to roll in. The actively pursue it.

      --
      "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"

      - Charles Darwin
    18. Re:Not true. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your list is propaganda not supported by actual facts. Yes these countries are LOOKING at ODF, but contrary to what you say, NONE have actuall MANDATED EXCLUSIVE USE for anything. It's pure FUD you are spreading.

    19. Re:Not true. by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 1

      Your list is propaganda not supported by actual facts. Yes these countries are LOOKING at ODF, but contrary to what you say, NONE have actuallsic] MANDATED EXCLUSIVE USE for anything. It's pure FUD you are spreading.

      I try not to respond to AC's, but since I still have my Google mining page open, here are references for all those I listed. Some people might find these useful if they're researching this topic themselves. Some have mandated ODF for some uses or within a given locality or agency. Others have simply standardized on OpenOffice. Some are acts of law and some of policy. I was pretty clear for each case I thought.

      • http://presscenter.org/archive/20060623/432d0130470a88df1105dda38d1282b0/?lang=nl&prLang=en
      • http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/2592/5588
      • www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/85977
      • http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/3761
      • http://presscenter.org/archive/20060623/432d0130470a88df1105dda38d1282b0/?lang=nl&prLang=en
      • http://www.misiones.gov.ar/egov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144&Itemid=2
      • http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/85977
      • http://www.odfworkshop.com
      • http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201000546
      • http://www.meti.go.jp/press/20070629014/20070629014.html
      • http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1838
      • http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2007/09/739409/
    20. Re:Not true. by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      You're a little wrong there, latex may be that old (I don't know its incept date), but it is the result of many years of gradual improvement and changes. Not all of it is that old.

      The layout engine was finalized in 1982 (although the design itself was finished earlier; 1982 is just the date that it was forever set in fixed-point stone). 40 years is an overstatement, but you can reasonably say that TeX's output is over 25 years old.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    21. Re:Not true. by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      So if all those companies then make provisions for handling ODF files, what is to stop other businesses from emulating the government and saving money on licensing?

      "Handling ODF files" is separate from "saving money on licensing," you know. Don't forget that Microsoft Office supports ODF files now too, and that ODF is a standard format which is implementable by proprietary software, not just OpenOffice's format.

      Conflating separate things and making conflicting claims (e.g. "ODF is a standard" vs. "switch to OpenOffice to use ODF") when it suits them is a tactic Microsoft uses, not us. We should be better than that.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    22. Re:Not true. by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 1

      "Handling ODF files" is separate from "saving money on licensing," you know.

      Yes, I know. I never implied otherwise. That is why I said a large number of companies doing one enables other companies to do the second. You see how that works?

      Conflating separate things and making conflicting claims (e.g. "ODF is a standard" vs. "switch to OpenOffice to use ODF") when it suits them is a tactic Microsoft uses, not us. We should be better than that.

      I never conflate those items at all. Where are you getting this? I said that if most companies can handle ODF, the main reason to avoid using certain software packages that are cheaper than MS Office (like OpenOffice) has been removed. You never answered my question. If almost all companies have a way to handle ODF, what is the disadvantage to switching to it internally and buying cheaper software packages for some or all of your internal needs?

    23. Re:Not true. by jayp00001 · · Score: 1

      I suppose that's would be reasonable if the only way to get the data off was a microsoft API, however I've never heard of a microsoft product that only allowed export to another microsoft box. (I've heard and know of file formats like that but that's a whole 'nother ballgame)

    24. Re:Not true. by paving-slab · · Score: 1

      It's not just getting the data off, but also still being able to interact with people who continue to use microsoft products.

    25. Re:Not true. by jayp00001 · · Score: 1

      ok so if you have a product foo that doesn't interoperate with the product you own (AKA bar) does that mean that product foo has to give you the code to make bar work with it? Personally I think not. As a developer that worked on foo, my protocols are not open for public use. If you want to buy a license- ok I'll think about it but that should be my option. It's also your option to not use foo if a concern is that your users will need to use bar to connect. Unless foo is the only application in the field, in which case you don't have anyone to communicate with! Can you think of a real life example?

    26. Re:Not true. by paving-slab · · Score: 1

      As a developer that worked on foo, my protocols are not open for public use. If you want to buy a license- ok I'll think about it but that should be my option.

      And there we have it. Vendor lock in.

      Not everyone thinks it's a good idea, hence the requirement for APIs.

  4. Open Letter to Steve Ballmer by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 0, Troll

    Dear Steve:

    CUT IT OUT, WILL YA!?!?
     
    Face it, if MS is screwed, don't screw the whole world with it! We have enough problems already. Sheesh, stop acting like a spoiled child and start acting with some dignity for once.

    Sincerely,
    Me.

    1. Re:Open Letter to Steve Ballmer by calebt3 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yau should have signed it: "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spydermann"

    2. Re:Open Letter to Steve Ballmer by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

      Yau should have signed it: "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spydermann"

      I wouldn't want to be friendly with THAT neighbor - would you? ;-)

  5. What's next? by arotenbe · · Score: 5, Informative

    What's next? Will Microsoft try to bribe OpenOffice.org to make OOXML the new default file format? Will they attempt to make Microsoft Bob an ISO standard? Will they try to release a document specification that has four different definitions of a "percent"?

    Oh, wait... they are already doing that last one.

    --
    Tomato wedge sperm darts that are Republican.
  6. It isn't OOXML by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    IT ISN'T OOXML

    It is MOOXML


  7. Okay, we get it. Microsoft is corrupt and evil! by erroneus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In a way, this is not really news. We know that Microsoft has not yet been able to demonstrate that they know of any limits when it comes to getting their way. They don't care about ethics. They don't care about established process. They don't care about standards. What they care about is getting their way regardless of the disruption and damage they may cause.

    It's not news, but it's a pretty clear indicator of what most of us have come to accept long ago... but perhaps with this reminder, yet one more person might be convinced that Microsoft isn't "just doing business." ... perhaps a few more people.

    One of my users mentioned something interesting to me today. He told me that when he was shopping for a Mac for Christmas, he said going to the Apple store was a useless effort. He could not get the attention of a sales person to save his life. They were utterly flooded with customers. It was complete chaos. Meanwhile, he could have been treated like a king in the Dell store.

    People really *ARE* voting with their dollars. Dell wasn't the unpopular item... I believe it would be the same if it were any PC running Windows. People know what to expect from Windows. They are expecting much more from Apple. To be fair, I think those expectations may not be met to their satisfaction, but the fact is, it seems pretty plain that things are changing for Microsoft. And it may not be 2008 when everyone moves to an alternative, but it is the year to watch because more people than ever before are actually acting on their long-time interest in buying a Mac. And if it works for the few who make the leap, then more people will start making the leap too. Microsoft won't be able to react in time...and they may make good on their threats to stop making Office for Macintosh... who knows?

  8. How Much? by goingforaslash · · Score: 0

    Oh, and let's not forget Richard Stallman, who lives like Jim Bakker from all the FOSSie donations supporting his lifestyle. Do you have any idea how much a hooker has to be paid to sleep with that guy?

    I believe you have it wrong, Would it not be the hooker who receives a FOSS Donation!!
  9. Re:Okay, we get it. Microsoft is corrupt and evil! by westlake · · Score: 1
    He told me that when he was shopping for a Mac for Christmas, he said going to the Apple store was a useless effort. He could not get the attention of a sales person to save his life. They were utterly flooded with customers. It was complete chaos.

    In New York there are only a half dozen or so Apple stores outside metro New York City.

    You will find them - quite predictably - in the upscale Galleria mall. Targeting the same demographic Appple has mined for the last twenty-five years.

    The question is, is the Mac the hot seller or a stocking-stuffer like the iPod Nano?

  10. New York State is soliciting comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Take a look at this web site:

    http://www.oft.state.ny.us/oftnews/erecords-study.htm

    This looks like a study about ODF versus OOXML. Responses are due by December 28th (!)

  11. Re:Okay, we get it. Microsoft is corrupt and evil! by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, I'm no Microsoft apologist (been an Ubuntu user since Hoary), but the phenomenon you describe could be due to the simple fact that you can buy a PC anywhere or even build your own from scratch. If you want a complete selection of Macs to choose from, though, there's really only one place to go--the Apple store.

    Make no mistake, I believe that over the next 5-20 years Microsoft dominance will die by the collective hands of Apple, Linux and themselves, but it's going to be a slow process. Lock-in is a bitch, and it's not just about document formats--drivers are a bitch as well, and many important programs simply do not have decent OSS equivalents (or run in Wine without tons of tweaking.)

    If it were a fair fight, I'd have to wager Microsoft on being the absolute victor; fortunately, it's not a fair fight. Apple is a small and nimble target, kept alive by specific, loyal market segments, while Linux is simply immortal.

  12. And which Microsoft format??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stored in Word95, Word97, Word98, Word2000, Word....?

    They aren't stored in a format that can be 100% replicated in the current Word application, and OO.o opens them as well as the latest Word does (or, if there's a problem in the file, much better).

    So the only "Word" format that is accepted are the few Word iterations that are currently supported or, if MS get their way, MSOOXML. And most of the documents AREN'T in that format.

  13. MSOOXML, surely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And how is it pronounced?

    Muss Oxy Mill?

    Nah, sounds like a hair restoration product...

  14. I kidd, I kidd... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Australia, Argentina, India, Japan, South Africa and Vietnam are EU countries now! Who knew? (Aside from 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF, obviously...)

  15. Re:Customers don't care about standards by OminousZ · · Score: 0

    Who buys software? Customers. If you said to a potential customer "My FOSSie software is 100% complaint with some goofy arbitrary MS-hating standard we cooked up... while MS Office works without crashing, won't drive your IT people insane, and will allow your employees to just work"... which software do you think they are going to choose? So wait, Microsoft Office works without crashing? FOSS drives IT people insane? Employees will stop playing solitaire if you give them Microsoft Office? ...

    When my company buys MS Office, I can hire someone who's supported it for years, and if something goes horribly wrong, I can call Microsoft. If I'm using Google Apps or Open Office whatever shit you guys want to push this week, who do I call? Who do I hire to support it? How do I distribute it to 100 or more workstations? Yeah, seems you guys can't really answer that, aside from telling me I can change the fucking source code if I have "a problem". Ooohhh wow, having access to the source code really helps the customer...\ I see no reason why you cannot hire someone who has supported an open source alternative for years.
    I see no reason why you cannot call microsoft if the same open source alternative has problems. ;-)

    But if you really wanted to fix the problem, you could always read the documentation. Granted, not all FOSS has succinct documentation, but at least you have the choice to choose something better if you find a distinct lack of ease, use, and completeness in the documentation. (Or you could participate in the solution by reporting the bug, and ensuring that the fix is correctly applied to all relevant distributed apps)

    Speaking of distribution, well, perhaps you should explore that avenue with some hard-earned knowledge spoils by good old fashioned research. I'm 100% sure you're not the first to come up with that problem, and you most certainly wouldn't be the first to solve it.

    Last but not least, the question of why there are no open source billionaires has been asked before, and has been answered aptly, here: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000842.html
  16. It's to stop open compatibility hence competition by Bearhouse · · Score: 1

    Amid all the ranting and raving...why is MS really pushing this? It's because if we managed to have a genuinely OPEN document, (and hey, why not mail, calendar, contacts...yes I know they exist in the FOSS community, but we're not there yet) INTERNATIONAL STANDARD it will badly hit MS's monopoly foundation - which is that the vast majority of documents are stored and exchanged in their formats. It goes further - lots of software and devices sync with Office and/or Outlook - it's the default. Try getting your flashy new PDA or CRM software to sync with Tbird or Lotus Notes - hardly marginal products, either of them. There's more:

    1. Successive updates of MS Office formats add little and break lots. Remember binder? Please... So, they don't play fair = cannot really trust them. (BTW, before you flame, I'm not a rabid anti-MS guy - I use XP and Office as well as Mac & Linux/OO...)
    2. Archive formats exist, (PDF), so forget that chestnut - this is about live docs.
    3. There are valid concerns, expressed by public and private institutions, about document exchange - not really possible with pdf, since it was never designed to be modified.
    4. Let's not forget security concerns, (embedded macros in Word, Excel and s/w not open source)
    5. Valid concerns about being able to open old docs (not archived) in new s/w in the future...
    6. Crappy support for foreign languages with non-standard code pages and fonts with MS.
    7. Ditto document layout and rendering.

    But THE biggie is - 597 gazillion metric shitloads of documents are created, modified and exchanged in MS formats every day. If you open them in Open Office etc. you'll have no guarantee that your document will print the same, your presentation will show the same, or your spreadsheet will calc the same. That's one major problem for today's busy users. So - default choice - buy MS.

    If MS were forced to provide (note I did not say 'forced to use by default', I am not advocating that), genuine non-crippled (e.g. not like RTF) and open pathways to exchange rich-content 'office-type' files then well, maybe they'd be forced to make their software functionality compelling to get people to buy it...

  17. Obvious != True by fm6 · · Score: 1

    You've got your facts right, but your inferences are out there. MS doesn't need for its format to become an ISO standard. As you point out, anything they do is a de facto standard. But for whatever reason, they do want this format to be an actual standard. If not, they've put a hell of a lot of effort into something they don't want.

    And now that I think about it, they do need this ISO standard. A lot of big organizations are beginning to balk at being dependent on Microsoft-proprietary technology. It's a bad idea for them to be so thoroughly dependent on a single vendor. And, in the case of some governmental organizations, it's actually illegal. (Some municipal bureaucrats in the city where I live recently lost their jobs because they wrote a contract for new phones in such a way that only Cisco IP phones could possibly be considered.) If their product is "compliant with ISO 666-666" or whatever, they can claim that it isn't proprietary anymore.

  18. Fixed by renegadesx · · Score: 1

    3) They want MSOXML to be eligible for use by governments that have regulations requiring something that claims to be "open standards."

    --
    Make SELinux enforcing again!
  19. All that matters... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    All that matters to Microsoft is that they have a fresh new format to help them lock their customers in. The old formats can be used with a number of other products - from those dastardly Open Source solutions like OpenOffice, to other crappy, bloated, overpriced commercial software like Documents to Go on that dastardly PalmOS. With a new format out there, the competitors will be left scratching their heads for a while. When more alternatives come out, MS will come out with another new format, and the circle will be complete.

    If the circle is to be broken, everyone has to jump off the Microsoft merry-go-round as soon as good viable alternatives become available. The world missed that chance with OpenOffice. Ah well, maybe next time.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel