Comments on: ISO is Still a Winner in Poland, But ISO May Have Lost Its Way http://techrights.org/2007/07/09/iso-opendocument-poland/ Free Software Sentry – watching and reporting maneuvers of those threatened by software freedom Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Roy Schestowitz http://techrights.org/2007/07/09/iso-opendocument-poland/comment-page-1/#comment-1175 Roy Schestowitz Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:31:21 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2007/07/09/iso-opendocument-poland/#comment-1175 Yes, I've seen this too. Britain is one of the European nations that are still heavily influenced by Microsoft. I have just come across this article in this morning's news from Australia: <b>How open is "open" when Microsoft say it?</b> To quote one bit: <em>"Microsoft put forth the argument that OOXML is sufficiently different: ODF is constrained because it needs enhancements to support the detris accumulated over the differing versions of Microsoft Office's evolution - yet OOXML will also need to cater for this. It seems a hollow argument to say an entirely new open specification is required. Given ODF exists, and that PDF is already a de-facto standard for electronic document exchange, one really must question the significance of Ecma-approval and the genuineness of the word "open" in Microsoft's parlance."</em> Here's the URL: http://www.itwire.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13391&Itemid=1054 Based on patents, DRM, and past stories about lobbying, Australia is still subjected to a lot of pressure from Microsoft. Yes, I’ve seen this too. Britain is one of the European nations that are still heavily influenced by Microsoft.

I have just come across this article in this morning’s news from Australia:

How open is “open” when Microsoft say it?

To quote one bit:

“Microsoft put forth the argument that OOXML is sufficiently different: ODF is constrained because it needs enhancements to support the detris accumulated over the differing versions of Microsoft Office’s evolution – yet OOXML will also need to cater for this. It seems a hollow argument to say an entirely new open specification is required. Given ODF exists, and that PDF is already a de-facto standard for electronic document exchange, one really must question the significance of Ecma-approval and the genuineness of the word “open” in Microsoft’s parlance.”

Here’s the URL:
http://www.itwire.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13391&Itemid=1054

Based on patents, DRM, and past stories about lobbying, Australia is still subjected to a lot of pressure from Microsoft.

]]> By: Stephen http://techrights.org/2007/07/09/iso-opendocument-poland/comment-page-1/#comment-1174 Stephen Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:17:28 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2007/07/09/iso-opendocument-poland/#comment-1174 Unfortunately, Poland is one of 27 states with voting power in Europe! Let's hope the other 26 votes move broadly against closed standards. There has rarely been such an alignment (even before the EU enlargement) in areas relating to technology. Aside: Office XML is, of course, closed because the spec is so obfuscated, that it may as well have been written in ogham notation. It should be rejected out of common sense. However, the EU wing of Microsoft's marketing engine is revving as indicated by this polarised article from the BBC... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6265976.stm Unfortunately, Poland is one of 27 states with voting power in Europe! Let’s hope the other 26 votes move broadly against closed standards. There has rarely been such an alignment (even before the EU enlargement) in areas relating to technology.

Aside: Office XML is, of course, closed because the spec is so obfuscated, that it may as well have been written in ogham notation. It should be rejected out of common sense. However, the EU wing of Microsoft’s marketing engine is revving as indicated by this polarised article from the BBC…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6265976.stm

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