01.09.08
With Novell’s OOXML Support, Microsoft Lobbies and Deceives in the Philippines
When deception gets named “business as usual”
Remember CompTIA's OOXML lobbying in the Philippines? It is yet another Microsoft lobby by proxy that is pretty recent (November 2007). Well, this charade is far from over and it even goes further than this. Recall our recent writings about Microsoft lobbying in the Philippines. According to the press in the Philippines, Microsoft tries to characterise OOXML as an ‘open standard’ and it even uses Novell as an example of OOXML support.
Other vendors supporting openXML are Apple, Intel, Novell and Toshiba, among others, Microsoft said.
Let’s quickly review those candidates, shall we?
- Apple is an interesting situation because the company made several deals with Microsoft, even recently. This included cross-licensing and we have already debated the effects of it on OOXML.
- Novell, as well already know, must support OOXML because its cash infusion from Microsoft made it a condition. This is one case among several where Microsoft literally bought OOXML from competing players in industry, but this type of purchase was made too subtle to attract attention and bring scrutiny.
- Toshiba is Microsoft’s Zune partner and HD-DVD partner. We already witnessed some ugly stories where Microsoft is claimed to have virtually bribed studios to embrace HD-DVD at Blu-ray’s expense. The accusations have no ‘smoking gun’ to show, but fairly compelling evidence is around (even from the New York Times). There is no place for ethics in such format ‘wars’.
- Intel needn’t have further explanation here. Just watch the OLPC update which was posted here a couple of hours ago. Those two companies, Microsoft and Intel, always work in tandem.
Corel, as well 3 Linux companies which have all signed ‘protection’ deals with Microsoft, could be added to that list. Thanks to the GNOME Foundation, even a Free software project can now be described as “support”.
It is natural to assume that yet again, Microsoft not only spins OOXML (the company’s lies about OOXML are well-documented in this Web site), but it also ‘buys’ mindshare from companies which then serve as mutual proxies.
There is much more going on in the Philippines. Days ago we mentioned Microsoft’s ambition to blur the difference between 'open source' and Microsoft's new, self-serving definition of 'open'. They do this again, as reported just a couple of days ago by the local Filipino news.
Although declining to give details, the local executives said the Microsoft open source network lab will test the interoperability of the company’s products, including the new operating system Vista, with other environments
Mind the fact that this appears to have nothing to do with open source, and certainly not with Free software. They still strive to hijack approved definitions and exclude Free software to impose patent tax.
Matt Asay seems to have responded to this article as well:
If I moved there, though, would I have to drink Microsoft’s Kool-Aid like the Microsoft Philippines country manager has?
One reference comes to mind here. It’s about Microsoft's perception that it owns the industry. █
