Novell Pollutes GNU/Linux, Microsoft Almost Pollutes ODF

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2009-02-28 14:24:21 UTC
Modified: 2009-02-28 14:24:21 UTC

Poisonous apple

Summary: Novell spreads .NET and Microsoft wants to bring proprietary extensions to ODF.

NOVELL takes pride in one of those arbitrary awards (susceptible to corruption by bribes) which was granted to Mono. Does Novell not realise the patent implications for companies other than Novell, especially now that Microsoft uses its de facto standards to sue Linux? Putting Mono inside GNU/Linux is asking for trouble.

On a similar note, Microsoft is trying to pollute a competitor of OOXML. Having spotted this message, there are further complaints about Microsoft's attempts to ruin ODF from the inside.

Doug Mahugh of Microsoft is pushing inside the ODF Technical Committee for proprietary extensions, by which the monopolist vendor could embrace and extend the format to "innovate". The extensions possibility is the door open to proprietary closed source parts, that renders the ODF customer a Microsoft slave once again like in the good old times of the .DOC.

Microsoft's own OOXML-esque implementations (these vary all the time) are already polluted by proprietary extensions and Microsoft employees try to do the same ODF. How gullible do they assume people are? ⬆

"In one piece of mail people were suggesting that Office had to work equally well with all browsers and that we shouldn’t force Office users to use our browser. This Is wrong and I wanted to correct this.

"Another suggestion In this mail was that we can’t make our own unilateral extensions to HTML I was going to say this was wrong and correct this also."

--Bill Gates [PDF]

Comments

Friend

2009-02-28 15:23:09

why doesnt ms go away and leave everyone alone ? looks like they are fighting tooth and nail to sabotage everything that is open source/free software.

why dont they just mind their own software and fix their bugs and work on releasing vista 7 rather than chasing google/linux/whatever...
Dan O'Brian

2009-02-28 16:31:51

One could argue that they are simply trying to add the necessary features to ODF so that it's suitable to use for Microsoft Office. When Microsoft came out with OOXML, everyone attacked them for not just using ODF. Now that they are using ODF, the same people attack them.

Go figure.
Needs Sunlight

2009-02-28 17:16:19

@O'Brian: you have a funny definition of 'using' ODF.
David Gerard

2009-02-28 17:16:21

One could indeed argue that, were one being disingenuous. If they want to add the necessary features to ODF, they need to add the necessary features out in the open - not say "hand us a wild card pls kthx."
Roy Schestowitz

2009-02-28 17:20:42

A lobster or crab can 'use' a shell sometimes.
Myfraudsoft

2009-02-28 19:21:38

Microsoft just wants to embed proprietary binary blobs such as COM in odf files.
Roy Schestowitz

2009-02-28 20:10:01

Don't let Microsoft lay its proprietary eggs inside the ODF nest (or host). Many businesses, governments, universities, end users and software vendors depend on this 'nest'.
Darren

2009-02-28 20:16:21

If MS want to help ODF so much, why didn't they help when they had the chance. They were members of OASIS when ODF was being developed and were approached, but decided to keep quiet.

I guess they didn't think it would come to much. They thought wrong.
Roy Schestowitz

2009-02-28 20:23:27

They declined the invitation to join an effort to make universal, accessible formats. Instead, the company decided to shuffle its binary formats and do whatever it takes to call them "open" (even if it means hijacking the "Open Office" brand and putting "XML" next to it, then bribing lots of people).

Investigative Journalism Protects Society From Corruption, Crimes Against Women, Assaults on Civil Society: "what is the point of men doing military practice to defend a system that is so rotten?"
Swiss pimp usurping reputation of legendary Tissot boss Francois Thiébaud from France (BaselWorld, SWATCH Group SA): Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Paris 'Love Nest' & Debian Outreachy: from Lycée Lakanal to ENS Cachan, Cr@ns, nepotism: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Richard Stallman to Give Public Talk in 3 Hours, Then in the Technical University of Munich (Germany) Next Week: Richard Stallman at TUM on 21.10.2025 18:00, MW2001
Leaks and Whistleblowers: Our Plan for Today: Society simply cannot advance when too many people self-censor
The EPO's War on Techrights Was a Massive Mistake: The EPO started the SLAPPs after we had published a few hundreds of articles; we've since then published close to 6,000 because the attacks on us emboldened insiders to help us
General-Purpose Computers to Become Growing Area of Coverage: Without them, we have little left for controlling our lives
"They missed a great opportunity to shut up." -Jacques Chirac: Brett Wilson LLP has been trying to cheat the legal system many times
Harassment evidence: Switzerland, overcrowded fitness and yoga centers, incompetence and racism in accident response: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Vincent Danjean & Debian NXIVM collateral, blackmail risks: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
In Sweden This Past Friday Richard Stallman Explained Why Copyleft is Important: And he didn't have to 'bash' BSDs, either
Dystopian Trends in Technology Make Richard Stallman More Relevant Than Ever: It's good to see him attracting vast audiences
IBM Layoffs Due to a Lack of Money and Company Debt Rising by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in 6 Months: IBM didn't buy Red Hat for any ideological reasons; it was a fast "cash grab" for revenue
Forbes Already Stopped Being a News Sites. Now It's a Spam and Propaganda Platform for "Paying Partners" (Companies).: news from Forbes became very scarce
Is the Second-Largest Institution in Europe (EPO) Gradually Becoming More Like a Sweatshop?: Underpaid, unqualified, inexperienced and incompatible people are already recruited to replace veteran examiners
The Register MS Has No FOSS Coverage Anymore: The Editor in Chief is like a Microsoft plant
Links 13/10/2025: "Toasty Subwoofer" and WiFi Speakers "Are About To Go Dumb": Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: iNaturalist and Tove Jansson’s Moominpappa at Sea: Links for the day
Microsoft Does Not Deny That Large Retailers Like Walmart, Costco and Target Are Giving Up on XBox (and Not Stocking It): No doubt XBox is in trouble and rumours suggest that more mass layoffs are imminent
We'll Encourage Richard Stallman to Talk About Software Patents at the EPO Next Week When He Visits Munich (EPO Headquarters): Go listen to Richard Stahlmann
Arnaud Parreaux lost case defending rogue employer: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Mathieu Elias Parreaux declared bankrupt in Switzerland: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Breakdown of the Rule of Law and Patent Law in the European Union (EU): The EPO cannot recruit suitably qualified patent examiners this way, let alone retain them
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Good Films, Wizard of Earthsea, Upgrading the Steam Controller's Stick: Links for the day
It's Not Justice When One Side Denies the Other Side the Ability to Even Speak: At this stage, Brett Wilson LLP is in my humble opinion acting in contempt of the Court
Links 13/10/2025: Australian Catholic University Uses Slop to Libel Students, Canada Threatens to Kill Beluga Whales: Links for the day
How Not to Silence Tux Machines (It'll Only Backfire, Badly): defending Microsoft while attacking this site
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT and Google News: It seems abundantly clear that Google News and Google in general participates in the slop epidemic
Vincent Danjean (not INTERPOL), Claire Bardel & Debian pregnancy cluster: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Christmas lynchings: Martin Krafft (madduck), Penny Leach (mjollnir) & Debian pregnancy cluster: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Birthdays and "Committee Unable to Contact Nobel Prize Winner": Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 12, 2025: IRC logs for Sunday, October 12, 2025
The Same People Who Attacked Richard Stallman (RMS) Are Attacking Daniel Pocock to Discourage People From Listening to His Information: Pocock is being demonised for the same reasons and by the same people who attack RMS
Your Typical Anti-Richard Stallman (RMS) Cancellist: "About the RMS cancellation"
Richard Stallman (RMS) Has Announced His Talk in Rome Less Than 20 Hours in Advance (and on a Sunday): Why did he wait until the night before?
We Are Safe in a Modern "Tech" Society, Right?: People are safer if they control their own computing
GNU Tools Cauldron Event in Portugal: Videos Now Available via Invidious: Go have a look
The Way Things Are Going, They May Soon Stop Saying "Web Address" and Instead Say "Chrome Address": The Web isn't built or based around open Web standards anymore. It's centered around user-agent.
Microsoft as a Golden Cage: "I was laid off by Microsoft and can't find a job. I'm weeks away from giving up my apartment and moving across the country to live with family."
Weekend Discussion About How IBM's Bluewashing of Red Hat Will Cause "Enshittification" for Users: "I worked at a software company that was acquired by IBM so I knew it was game over for RedHat the day they were acquired"
Brett Wilson LLP Getting Sued by Its Very Own Clients, a Legal Story That Has Made the Mainstream News (Law360): Law360 or Law.com are about as mainstream as one can get in that "sector" (litigation 'industry')
Slopwatch: GNU/Linux Sites That Became Slopfarms and Spamfarms: The Web is a mess and "Linux" or "Ubuntu" sites became part of the problem
Richard Stallman's Talk 25 Hours Away, Aula Magna Palazzo del Rettorato (CU001), Sapienza Università di Roma (Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5): The talk is 25 hours away and we see some QR code for it
Gemini Links 12/10/2025: Watches, the Depression of 2026, Gamboling with Odds: Links for the day
Links 12/10/2025: 'False' DMCA Claims and Slop Facing Perils Again (the Hype Wears Off): Links for the day
Microsoft Has Just Lost Privacy Case in Austria and Its Latest Moves Make a Complete Ban Seem Imperative: Microsoft is not a software company, it's a spying agency that uses software to collect data
The Register MS: Microsoft is the Security Expert, Not the Prime Culprit, So Buy More Microsoft: This front page feature is devoid of any actual substance, it's just Microsoft copypasta
Stefano Zacchiroli (Zack) & Debian pregnancy cluster: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Lucas Nussbaum & Debian pregnancy cluster: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 12/10/2025: "Palm Computering", Further Exploration of Slide Rules, and Key Takeaways from The Well-Grounded Rubyist: Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, October 11, 2025: IRC logs for Saturday, October 11, 2025
Tomorrow: Founder of the Free Software Foundation and of GNU/Linux, Richard Stallman, Speaks in Roma (Rome), Italy at 4PM: GNU/Linux is more important than ever in this dystopian world
Microsoft and Apple Are Rare Topics in Geminispace: in Geminispace it's rather safe to assume everyone is into BSD, GNU/Linux, and sometimes retro
Qualcomm and Manchester United Appear to Have Dumped Microsoft (Qualcomm Now Invests More in Linux, Apparently): It's a relief to no longer see Microsoft logos and brands on a local football club's gear (I'm not a Manchester United fan, but not a foe either)
As Guest of Honour in Rome, Founder of the Free Software Foundation to Speak ("Distinguished Lecture") After Introduction by Leonardo Querzoni: Happy hacking...
All Things Open is Proprietary: The OSI has become a front group of proprietary software openwashers, led and sponsored by proprietary giants
When Microsoft Lays Off Lots of Workers They Say It "Invests in AI" (a Lie), Now It's "Reshuffles" or "Microsoft Tightens": Microsoft "news" by bots
"I saw Richard Stallman give a talk in the mid 80s, which began my fear and loathing of software patents" and "Richard Stallman was always right.": "By betraying the legacy of our ancestors, we’ve set ourselves on a path toward self-destruction — moral, intellectual, economic, and ultimately biological."
There Were Several Waves of Microsoft Shanghai Layoffs in 2025, Western Media Continues to Turn a Blind Eye to Chinese Layoffs of an Epic Scale: Sometimes select Taiwanese news sites (published in English) or automated translations are all we have
Brett Wilson LLP Spreads Trumpism to the United Kingdom, Looking to Profit From 'Legal Colonialism' (Overriding Sovereignty): There's growing recognition of this conundrum worldwide
The Demise of Shopping in Person: In a world like this, how valued is the customer?
This Past Friday, "Nearly 700 People Came to Listen to RMS!" (Richard Stallman): "Nearly 700 people came to listen to RMS!"
Distinguished Lecture by Richard Stallman This Coming Monday in Rome: After "Free software, Crucial for Freedom in a Digital World"
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT Churning Out Plagiarism and the Slopfarm LinuxSecurity Turns to Pseudonyms: Our hunch is, UbuntuPIT will sooner or later realise that this toxic approach is just harming UbuntuPIT and tainting the reputation of past articles
The Lawsuit by Clients of Brett Wilson LLP Against Brett Wilson LLP is Officially On, It is Progressing, The 'Experts' Pick Outside Law Firms (RPC and Mills & Reeve) to Spare Them From Litigants in Person: So it is probably quite potent
Gemini Links 11/10/2025: Nyctography, Gerrymandering, and Lurking: Links for the day
The 'Culture Wars' in Free Software Have Gone Out of Control: Social control media amplifies such utterly infantile discourse
Teaser: To Compensate for the Fact Our Clients Are Terrible Human Beings Who Strangle Women (While on Microsoft's Payroll) and We Get Paid by Mystery Parties We Bombard You and Your Wife With Almost 10 Kilograms of Legal Papers: If you can't win an argument, then drown the other side with papers?
Links 11/10/2025: World Mental Health Day 2025, Another European Legal Defeat for Microsoft 360: Links for the day
MIT Technology Review is Part-Time SPAMfarm of Billionaires and Mega-Corporations: Does MIT operate its own "b2b" SPAMfarm?
Open Source Initiative Executive Director Leaves, Replacement Sought by Monopolists, Not the Community or OSI Members: Serves to show who runs this show...
Links 11/10/2025: China-US Tensions Grow Again, "Hey Hi" More Widely Recognised as Bubble Made of Capital That Doesn't Exist: Links for the day
Now Confirmed in Western Media: Microsoft Azure Layoffs This Month: Affirmed by more sources moments ago
Peter O'Callaghan QC represented grandparents, Westernport Hotel, at Liquor Royal Commission: Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Either The Register MS Divests From FOSS Coverage or Liam Proven is on Long Holiday: Publishers perish when their audience loses trust in them
Microsoft Cancelling Another Datacentre is a Sign of Financial Trouble and Lack of Growth: The debt continues to grow
Gemini Links 11/10/2025: An Evening at the Fair and Fast Fourier Friday: Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, October 10, 2025: IRC logs for Friday, October 10, 2025

Novell Pollutes GNU/Linux, Microsoft Almost Pollutes ODF

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts