This whole saga is not over yet. There are still things that we, the 'little people', can do to ensure justice is restored and then prevails. Having documented abuse of the process, we can seek truth and ensure that Microsoft is metaphorically getting caught with its pants down (or with an egg in the face).
According to ISO spokesman Roger Frost, "Because the period for receipt of appeals remains open until the end of May, ISO will communicate on the next steps in early June, when it knows whether any other national bodies are appealing."
The South African Standards Body SABS have lodged an appeal at ISO against the awful fast-track process of DIS29500, or Microsoft Office OpenXML. Please call your national Standards Body and ask them to support this complain. You have only 7 days because the deadline is 30 May, 2 months after the ISO vote.
Steve Pepper, being so disgused about the intervention of a Norwegian bureaucrat reverting the decision of the Norwegian Technical Committee, is pointing at the fact that this person is also member of the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB), who will decide on the future of this appeal. I hope we will have some transparency on who is deciding what inside ISO on this appeal. It is time for ISO to clean up its stables, they have not been cleaned for several years, and they are getting dirty and smelly.
Like most assumptions about open source from Microsoft, a big piece of the overall picture is conveniently left out.
The context of Matusow's blog entry is a trip he recently took to South Africa where he had talks about interoperability and open source issues. As noted in a Tectonic article, Matusow's visit fell around the same time the South African government was approving the OpenDocument Format (ODF) for government use. (Funny...)
[...]
Matusow then goes on to make another, more specific, assumption about South Africa. Their local developers don't seem to have the skill set to do any real contributions to OSS anyway, so the benefit of local participation is lost on them anyway.
Ignoring the fact that this is the single most arrogant thing I think I have heard anyone say about a nation's potential (I'll let my colleagues take that part of the argument on), who is Matusow to say anything about who can code what for Linux and OSS? Is you said "nobody," you're absolutely right.
--Bill Gates
Comments
master_chief
2008-05-24 15:49:17
This is a International issue ! Come on guy....
master_chief
2008-05-24 15:57:33
Roy, pppleaseeee put alternative backup of the delegates email address on your website.
http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:jvQ_1t3qHB8J:www.noooxml.org/delegations+http://www.noooxml.org/delegations&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=iceweasel-a
master_chief
2008-05-24 16:15:55
Roy Schestowitz
2008-05-24 16:30:44
I'll post when it's done
master_chief
2008-05-24 16:35:18
master_chief
2008-05-24 16:37:08
That will be really funny !
master_chief
2008-05-24 17:02:54
master_chief
2008-05-24 17:03:51
significant...
Roy Schestowitz
2008-05-24 17:09:21
master_chief
2008-05-24 17:59:11
Take a guess...
He is like a rock tied to already sinking MS
Roy Schestowitz
2008-05-24 18:15:08
There's no-one to replace him* (says Mary Jo Foley) and without the bullying, what has Microsoft got? Honestly, by being nice Microsoft would cease to be relevant -- over time.
Watch Gates and Raikes very carefully. Both are working at the Microsoft Fundation [sic] these days, writing checks and often expecting something in return. I've watched this for years.
___ * http://boycottnovell.com/2008/05/02/novell-openly-delusional/
Watch the links at the latter part. Many people have suggested that Ballmer should leave or be sacked.
stevetheFLY
2008-05-24 21:59:27
Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a possible incarnation of a known (eet), pseudonymous, forever-nymshifting, abusive Internet troll that posts from open proxies and relays around the world.