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IBM Slams Microsoft, Calls OOXML "Inferior"

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the yer-mama's-ugly-too dept.

cristarol sends word that Microsoft's accusation, that IBM has sabotaged Redmond's attempts to have the Office OpenXML format approved by the ISO, has drawn a heated response from IBM. Ars Technica has the story. "'IBM believes that there is a revolution occurring in the IT industry, and that smart people around the world are demanding truly open standards developed in a collaborative, democratic way for the betterment of all,' IBM VP of standards and OSS Bob Sutor told Ars. 'If "business as usual" means trying to foist a rushed, technically inferior and product-specific piece of work like OOXML on the IT industry, we're proud to stand with the tens of countries and thousands of individuals who are willing to fight against such bad behavior.'"

4 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. we've come a long way by jacquesm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When a company that used to be a monopolist is now one of the staunchest defenders of openness, I really do hope there is no hidden agenda here.

    IBM used to make overpriced hardware sold at tremendous profit until that little upstart microsoft came along and elegantly used their own weight against them in a classic game of corporate judo. It may just be that IBM still smarts from that or it may be that they've really 'seen the light'. This is good news, personally I'd like to see the transparency of these committees and their members go up a notch or two, too much potential for procedural trickery still exists.

    --
    MP3 Search Engine
    1. Re:we've come a long way by pegdhcp · · Score: 5, Interesting
      (Semi) official Microsoft view worded as

      IBM is solely responsible for ISO's recent decision to deny OOXML fast-track approval. "Let's be very clear," Jean Paoli, Microsoft's senior director of XML technology, told ZDNet. "It has been fostered by a single company--IBM. If it was not for IBM, it would have been business as usual for this standard."

      One wonders if Microsoft officials do not recognize their own organization as a "single company". Although there are claims of MS statehood, I prefer such ideas remain in the "jokingly funny" domain.

  2. Re:What doesn't make sense by Zygamorph · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I keep "hearing" the statement but I don't experience it. I use oo.org regularly with absolutely no problems. I use MS Office occasionally with no problems so how is it that MS Office blows away oo.org?

    BTW - I have no interest in "reasons" such as the following:

    1. xx starts up 3 seconds faster = 1 more sip of tea, where's the down side?
    2. The user interface isn't the same = well duh, that just means you're more familiar with one than the other
    3. xx is more compatible with other parts of the xx suite - mega duh, and not always true
    4. xx is more "standard" - whose standard? I lean toward ODF because it is truly open but either way our main problem 10 years from now will be finding hardware to read those funny plastic disks and paying someone to do it.
  3. Godzilla had better manners. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Godzilla may have thrown chairs, but he didn't have such a potty mouth: Ballmer Throws A Chair At "F*ing Google".