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[News] [Rival] Microsoft Comes Under Criticism over Non-open 'Open' Proprietary Formats

  • Subject: [News] [Rival] Microsoft Comes Under Criticism over Non-open 'Open' Proprietary Formats
  • From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:20:13 +0000
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • Organization: Netscape / schestowitz.com
  • User-agent: KNode/0.10.4
Declaration for open standards in the internet passed

,----[ Quote
| The declaration addresses the latter issue in its criticism of Microsoft's 
| efforts to create the controversial Open Office Open XML (OOXML) 
| specification, an alternative ISO standard to the open document format (ODF) 
| already certified by the international standards organization. In a talk with 
| heise online, internet pioneer Vint Cerf criticised the Redmond company, "in 
| the Internet world we've learned that such things have to be nipped in the 
| bud." As one of the speakers at the Geneva conference, Cerf emphasised that a 
| format would be selected and standardised within the framework of the 
| Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Extensions would be agreed upon by 
| consensus among the parties involved. The great success of the internet is 
| based on the open standards that have been developed with this attitude.          
| 
| At the same time, Cerf recalled the standardization work that he influenced 
| to a great extent surrounding the TCP/IP internet protocol, for which a 
| special Internet Configuration Control Board (ICCB) was established in the 
| 1970s. At that time, Microsoft did not occupy the role it does today in the 
| computer industry; Big Blue was the heavyweight back then. "If IBM had 
| decided not to implement TCP/IP at that time, pushing its own standard  
| instead, the Internet wouldn't exist," Cerf emphasised.     
| 
| The Redmonders took part in the ODF standardization process, Cerf pointed out 
| regarding the current discussion. That they now want to do their own thing 
| can only be explained, says the Google evangelist, by their recognition of 
| the commercial value of net-based software and that they have a "proprietary 
| interest" in developing such programs.    
`----

http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/104270


Recent:

Microsoft "persuades" NGOs to support OOXML

,----[ Quote ]
| Our friends at Linux Delhi have put up a copy of the form letters that 
| Microsoft has been sending NGOs on the OOXML issue. Apparently, these NGOs 
| have been sending copies of these letters to the Ministry of IT and Bureau of 
| Indian standards.    
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/02/microsoft-persuades-ngos-to-support.html


Developers around the world, unite!

,----[ Quote ]
| Monopoly and proprietary software have an advantage in influencing state and 
| governmental institutions because of their large market base and ready 
| capital. Unscrupulous ways of influencing state governments have persisted in 
| India, for example, where executives of proprietary software cajole 
| government heads to promote their brands in lieu of some form of charity 
| given. FLOSS activists must overcome this huge challenge in order to get 
| their philosophy accepted and model implemented for the good of people who 
| are still on the barren side of the digital divide.       
`----

http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=147277&catid=11


Using NGOs to Push Agendas

,----[ Quote ]
| The extent to which Microsoft can go in its efforts to get OOXML is
| interesting. Microsoft has "persuaded" several non-profit organizations to 
| bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the 
| Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML proposal. A copy 
| of the form letter they have been circulating to NGOs is given below. 
| Somebody should interview these NGOs to see how much they really know about 
| OOXML and open standards.      
| 
| The sequence of events leading up to the spamming of GoI? is:
| 
| Letter from an NGO thanking Microsoft (name changed to protect their
| identity) 
`----

http://wiki.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/OpenStandards/MsNgoLobby

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