12.06.07

ISO’s Reputation Collapses Under Heavy Weight of Microsoft Abuses

Posted in ECMA, ISO, Microsoft, Open XML at 10:22 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

To those who have followed the OOXML/ODF debate, this would hardly be surprising. The following bits are various observations, but none of these can be considered news. To some, the figure of authority which finally speaks out (and confirms it) makes all the difference in the world. Here is Martin Bryan spilling the beans.

A November informative report of Martin Bryan, Convenor, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 WG1 highlights the fallout of the ECMA-376 fast-track process for ISO. He says he is ‘glad to be retiring before the situation becomes impossible’

[...]

In what is an astonishingly outspoken report, Martin Bryan, Convenor, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 WG1 has given us insight into the total mess that Microsoft/ECMA have caused during their scandalous, underhand and unremitting attempts to get – what is a very poorly written specification {i.e. DIS 29500 aka OOXML, AR} – approved as an ISO standard. …

Dana’s latest blog item, “Microsoft accused of stacking ISO committee”, covers this latest developments as well.

In a memo sent following his last meeting as head of the working group on WG1, which is handling Microsoft’s application to make the Word format an ISO standard as ECMA 376, outgoing Governor Martin Bryan (above), an expert on SGML and XML, accused the company of stacking his group.

More reflections here and here. Glyn Moody’s blog contains some valuable links.

At the moment Groklaw speaks about Rob Weir’s observation, which is quite separate. It was mentioned yesterday.

He [Rob Weir] writes that ISO is becoming a laughing stock in IT circles and suggests standards that are outstanding be sent over to OASIS.

Finally, OpenISO has truly awoken. For months we have complained that ISO has lost its mojo, courtesy of Microsoft [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Regardless of the destiny of the ISO(‘s credibility), the big question remains: will Microsoft have bought itself an international standard? A breaking system could be mended before it’s totally broken. █

OOXML is fraud

Share this post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Permalink Mail Send this to a friend

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

Pages that cross-reference this one

What Else is New

Links 28/5/2020: OpenSSH 8.3, New Mesa Release, Raspberry Pi 4 News, Fedora 32 Elections

Links for the day
The EPO Became a Very Radical Institution

Projection tactics are doomed to say more about the people who utilise them than about anybody else; the EPO has become so autocratic and corrupt that corruption is seen as normal and workers who explain this corruption are framed as "irrational" or "crazy" or "radical"
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, May 27, 2020

IRC logs for Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Allegations That Microsoft Will Ruin Besieged Clinics and Hospitals to Retaliate Against Those Who Name the Culprit

With a broader picture coming into view, as per the above index, we're starting to wrap up the series while issuing a call for more stories and eyewitness testimonies, exposing the nature of attacks on hospitals (those almost always target Microsoft and others' proprietary software, which is technically unfit for purpose)
Microsoft Has Ideas...

Based on the pattern of media coverage, composed by Microsoft MVPs and Microsoft-affiliated blogs/sites, confusing the public about the meaning of GNU/Linux is reminiscent of an "Extend" phase
ZDNet Proves Our Point by Doing Not a Single Article About Linux (RC7), Only About Linus and Windows Clickbait Junk

It seems abundantly clear that nobody wants to cover the actual news about Linux and instead it’s all about which PC Linus Torvalds is using (gossip/tabloid); ZDNet‘s latest two articles are an example of this…
UPC Lies That Make One Laugh...

IP Kat and Bristows (overlaps exist) are still pretending that the UPC is coming because reality doesn’t seem to matter anymore, only self-serving agenda
Canonical Continues to Help Promote Windows Instead of GNU/Linux or Ubuntu

Thrice in the past week alone Canonical used the official “Ubuntu Blog” to help Microsoft instead of GNU/Linux and it is part of a disturbing trend which lends credibility to jokes or rumours about a Microsoft takeover; it's not like many people use this thing, either (Canonical helps Microsoft shore up a dying/languishing EEE attempt)
Links 27/5/2020: CoreOS Container Linux Reaches Its End-Of-Life, 2020 GNOME Foundation Elections Coming

Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, May 26, 2020

IRC logs for Tuesday, May 26, 2020
GNEW Seedlings vs. Free Software Deforestation

“The idea of the GNEW Project really is about keeping the goals of the GNU Project alive — hopefully, they won’t destroy or co-opt too much of the GNU Project, that people like the Hyperbola devs can’t fix it with BSD.”
Joi Ito Already Admitted on the Record That Bill Gates Had Paid MIT Through Jeffrey Epstein

An important exhibit for the accurate historical record (because MIT has been trying to deny truth itself)
It's Convenient to Call All Your Critics Nuts and/or Jealous

Bill Gates antagonists are not motivated by hatred or jealousy but a sense of injustice; spoiled brats who break the law aren’t a source of envy any more than mass murderers are subject of admiration
Real History of Microsoft and How It Became 'Successful'

New video that contains a portion about the history of Microsoft -- the part paid-for 'journalists' (paid by Microsoft and Bill Gates) rarely or never speak about
Hostility and Aggression Towards Staff That Does Not Use Windows After Windows Takes Entire Hospital Down

Microsoft Windows, with NSA back doors, continues to take hospitals offline (with records copied by criminals if not stolen by effectively locking the originals out of reach for ransom money); but guess who’s being punished for it…
They Came, They Saw, We Died...

It cannot be overstated that we're under attack (or a "Jihad" against Linux as Bill Gates himself put it) and failing to act upon it will be costly as time may be running out and our groups are being 'bought off' by Microsoft in rapid succession, as per the plan/strategy
The GitHub Takeover Was an Extension of Microsoft's War on GPL/Copyleft (Because Sharing Code to Anyone But Microsoft is 'Piracy')

Licences that make it easier for Microsoft to 'steal' (or a lot harder for Free software to compete against proprietary software) are still being promoted by Microsoft; its GitHub tentacles (see GitHub's logo) further contribute to this agenda
ZDNet is Totally a Microsoft Propaganda Machine

The site ZDNet has become worse than useless; it lies, defames and launders the reputation of famous criminals (that's the business model these days)
When Microsoft's Mask Falls (or When Times Are Rough)

Microsoft loves Linux in the same sense that cats love mice (they might play with them until they get hungry)
Careers in Free Software Aren't Careers in the Traditional Sense

With historic unemployment rates and people 'stranded' inside their homes there's still demand and need for technology; these times of adaptation present an opportunity for Software Freedom
Embrace, Extend, Extinguish 2020 Edition

Embrace, Extend, Extinguish (E.E.E.) is alive and well, but the corrupt (paid by Microsoft) media isn't talking about it anymore; in fact, it actively cheers and encourages people/companies to enter the trap
Links 26/5/2020: SHIFT13mi GNU/Linux Tablet, Linux Kodachi 7.0 and Some Qt Releases

Links for the day
EPO Propaganda on Steroids (or on EPO)

What EPO management is saying and what is actually happening
Breton (EU) 'Joins' Team UPC to Help His Buddy Battistelli... Again

As expected, Breton acts as little but an EPO tool, looking to prop up supremacy of patent litigation over science and innovation
Removing Free/Libre Software as an Inadequate Response to Microsoft Windows (With Back Doors) Getting Compromised, Killing People

GNU/Linux takes the blame (in a sense) for incidents that are purely the fault of Microsoft and its deficient software with deliberate back doors; it's believed that this boils down to opportunistic retaliation against those looking for a solution to the problem (or merely speaking about the problem)
IRC Proceedings: Monday, May 25, 2020

IRC logs for Monday, May 25, 2020
Under Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Lately, But We're Too Robust For Those

Efforts to take Techrights offline have been ramped up lately; but it's not working and it hardly even distracts us from publishing
The Art of Giving: Why Free Software Will Inevitably Survive Attacks Against It

Societies that share and look after their peers/neighbours will always be better off than predatory societies, which breed exploitation, distrust, discord and eventually systemic collapse
'Journalism' in 2020: Far More Articles About What Computer Linus Torvalds Bought Than About Linux Releases

Yesterday's (or late Sunday's) Linux announcement (RC7) is symptomatic of a broader issue we've long spoken about; it restricts people's ability to express an opinion, which can cloud any meritorious and substantial debate about technical matters journalists cannot grasp or comment on (it takes more effort and research)
Links 25/5/2020: Wrapland Redone, DebConf20 Plans, Many More Games

Links for the day