Adding slur to cronyism

WE try hard to stay away from Brown and not feed him, but it's getting difficult because he provokes in his blog. Those you believe that OOXML has been (and continues to be) a Microsoft fiasco are being ridiculed by no-one else than the convenor the OOXML BRM, who is being exceptionally rude.

Alex Brown, in ODF – OASIS and JTC 1 Get It Together, refers to those like me, who have been vocal in our disapproval of ISO’s handling of office-document standards, as the “tinfoil brigade” with a “crazed oppositional narrative”. He even provides an illustration of the use of a shiny silver fashion statement. Is this fair?

[...]

I’m Angry €· I can’t help it. I’m actually quite idealistic and believe that collaborative work which transcends the boundaries of nations and enterprises has the potential to benefit individuals, governments, and businesses everywhere. I cannot give an honest and complete account of my feelings about the ECMA/JTC1 process without resorting to coarse language and direct accusations against certain parties whom I believe to have acted at best unethically. €¶

For the purposes of this little essay I will for obvious reasons restrain myself. I will, however, offer two assertions:

* In the context of the process that led to the existence of ISO/IEC International Standard 29500, it is reasonable to be angry. * It is not reasonable to draw conclusions about the rights and wrongs of a complex and important issue, in which billions of dollars are at stake, based on who’s being polite.

Alex Brown [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23] and the other deniers of the OOXML corruptions must not be left to get away and rewrite history.

Simon Phipps responded to this too by saying: "I agree with Tim; Alex Brown's analysis is cavalier in the omission of the rest of the industry context around the gaming of JTC1, to the point one has to ask oneself why."

When people fail to distance themselves from corruption they should not cry foul. Brown invited the trouble he has been getting. ⬆

Also in the news:

• ODF@WWW - OOo Conf 2008">ODF@WWW - OOo Conf 2008">ODF@WWW - OOo Conf 2008
• Sun releases StarOffice 9
• Review of StarOffice 9
• Some Calc features for 3.1 from RedFlag 2000

"The ISO process, brutal and corrupt as it was, has been covered to death by everyone."

--Tim Bray