EditorsAbout the SiteComes vs. MicrosoftUsing This Web SiteSite ArchivesCredibility IndexOOXMLOpenDocumentPatentsNovellNews DigestSite NewsRSS

11.25.07

Responses to GNOME Foundation’s OOXML Statement

Posted in Formats, Free/Libre Software, GNOME, GNU/Linux, Open XML at 2:00 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Early weekend’s reactions

From BJörn Lindqvist:

Re: GNOME Foundation Statement on ECMA TC45-M Participation

BJörn Lindqvist
Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:11:47 -0800

On Nov 24, 2007 8:27 PM, Jeff Waugh [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> There is no “neutral game” being played here. Concerns were raised that the
> GNOME Foundation’s participation in EMCA TC45-M suggested that we supported
> OOXML becoming an ISO standard. Thus, the answer was simple: We do not.

Well except that our representative on that committee supports OOXML
becoming an ISO standard… Please stop the charade, getting involved
in the process was a stupid mistake to begin with and continuing to do
it while the hypocrisy shines through is just boneheaded. How on earth
can offering constructive criticism, feedback and helping develop a
specification NOT be supporting it??

From Alan Cox

Re: GNOME Foundation Statement on ECMA TC45-M Participation

Alan Cox
Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:09:57 -0800

> Don’t change the subject. The statement I quoted is trollish. There is
> no need to say we are shooting at our own feet repeatedly. Especially
> without any argument (I do not mean just text in an email). The
> announcement was not neutral.

The perception from outside is very clearly that you are active
participants and its being used in that way.

That would appear to be “shooting at own feet”

Perhaps you’d care to critique the relevant points instead of jumping up
and down like a small child going “ner ner na ner ner”

Alan

From Rui Miguel Silva Seabra

Re: GNOME Foundation Statement on ECMA TC45-M Participation

Rui Miguel Silva Seabra
Fri, 23 Nov 2007 16:45:32 -0800

Hi,

Funny then, that even after nothing being done by GNOME on TC45 since
July (previous to OOXML vote on September 2) ECMA is still claiming
GNOME participates in the disposition of comments:

http://www.ecma-international.org/news/TC45_current_work/First%20group%20of%20662%20proposed%20dispositions%20of%20comments%20posted.htm

Yes, the language is deceptive. Careful readers will notice they don’t
plainly say it, rather they insinuate it. It’s one of the main tactics
of lying with the truth.

Since the Foundation clearly wouldn’t lie about not doing anything since
July, here’s more evidence of people abusing the role of GNOME Foundation
on ECMA’s TC45.

The more you guys keep playing the neutral game, the more you’ll get
abused like this. Don’t cry about people who criticize the Foundation’s
“unconditional support” for OOXML, you’re pointing guns at your own feet
(and in fact just took another shot).

Rui

I’ve also received the following by E-mail from a reader who shall remain anonymous:

It’s hilarious how he [Jeff Waugh] keeps harping on about contacting him first before publishing anything about Gnome … like you’re not entitled to an opinion without his say so. He wants your questions and dissent driven underground, so it becomes just a private conversation between you and him, thus keeping all those dirty little secrets safe.

I’ve been following the vast amount of dirt being dug up on Gnome, Novell, OOXML, Waugh, de Icaza, and others over on BN today (your “brainstorm” and link to the Groklaw article were particularly enlightening), and I must admit that even *I* was surprised at how deeply corrupted all the various parties really are. It’s much, *much* worse than I originally imagined.

[...]

As for Gnome … I’ve read enough just *today* to convince me that I don’t want it anywhere near any of my systems … any more than I’d taint them with Sues® Linux. I had major problems with Fedora 8, that I’m still working my way through, but once I do finally deploy it across the network, you can be sure that one of the very *first* things I do is wipe Gnome off those systems, even if (as is the case) it means sacrificing some of the GUI configuration utilities shipped by Red Hat and Fedora (they use Gnome/Gtk libs). I’m rather wary of Enlightenment (even though it is excellent) because it rather stupidly (IMHO) uses the BSD license, so I’ll be switching to XFCE for now, and possibly KDE at a later stage.

I’ve been a Gnome user since … forever, but today it ends. The friendly little Gnome has grown up to become a nasty big Troll.

I was actually very sad to hear this, but we must let such open messages give the impression and justification that BoycottNovell.com is crowd, not a couple of blokes ranting.

One thing I can tell you is that BoycottNovell.com received an unusual level of traffic yesterday (quiet readers, i.e. no comments left). I haven’t checked to see where exactly they all come from, but maybe this indicates that we’ve touched a gentle spot, which I believe we did. There was no trolling or baiting involved. We were merely pointing at various Web sites that show GNOME’s role in ECMA, among other things.

Share this post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Reddit
  • co.mments
  • DZone
  • email
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • NewsVine
  • Print
  • Technorati
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook

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

20 Comments

  1. e-2e#t said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:27 am

    Gravatar

    Now you have reached another low. After Jeff Waugh has made you look really trollish (it’s what you actually are) you don’t dare making your hilarious accusations yourself anymore but instead quote readers’ e-mails that repeat exactly the ridiculous stuff they’ve read on your website.

    Concerning the anonymous e-mail you’ve quoted above:
    Don’t act sorry. It was _you_ who has scared this naive user away from GNOME – so take ‘pride’ in your ‘success’ here! This is what comes of your slandering blog.

    With friends like you, GNOME doesn’t need enemies.

    Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from an abusive Internet troll

  2. TaQ said,

    November 25, 2007 at 7:54 am

    Gravatar

    It’s amazing the way eet and some others make their comments. Seems that there is some kind of pattern, maybe an intensive course for “friends of the interoperability” going somewhere, or at least a little book with all the rules … oh, wait, they can say the same about us, forget about that. :-)

    Well, let’s forget about eet for a minute. There are going some really nice discussions about that on some mailing lists, as the GNOME Foundation one, and not just here. Let’s watch and see what happens. Really GNOME people, friends of GNOME, people who lived for it’s original purpose, talking there. Not us, the “trolls”. Maybe you can take a look there and tell us what you think, eet.

  3. Slated said,

    November 25, 2007 at 8:05 am

    Gravatar

    @e-2e#t

    Speaking of “nasty big Trolls” … with Trolls like you defending Gnome and Novell, they really don’t need enemies.

    You state that Roy has “reached another low”, whereas all he has actually done is quoted other’s opinions, including those of some very prominent figures in the community. I suppose you’re going to claim that Alan Cox is just a Troll too, are you?

    It’s time for you to face the fact that Gnome has sold out just as much as Novell has (no surprise there, given the very obvious connections).

    At a time when GNU/Linux is starting to win the war against Microsoft, people like de Icaza, Waugh, and others seem determined to stick a spanner in the spokes of the wheel, and sabotage those gains, by playing their part in poisoning GNU/Linux with encumbered Microsoft technology.

    The GNU/Linux community should be rejecting OOXML, Sliverlight, .NET, and all of Microsoft’s other “sour-grapes” reinventions … not embracing them. Why anyone in the community would even begin to want to poison GNU/Linux with that technology is a mystery.

    I am sick of people on the other side of the argument using excuses like “don’t think in black and white terms” and “let’s be pragmatic”. To Hell with pragmatism. The very foundation of GNU/Linux is idealism … not “selling out” to the enemy.

    People like you will not be content until every GNU/Linux user in the world is required to pay a license fee to Microsoft, and the previously Free software tree becomes closed, proprietary, Microsoft property.

    Every time someone in the Free Software community supports Microsoft technology, we take one step closer to oblivion.

  4. Victor Soliz said,

    November 25, 2007 at 9:10 am

    Gravatar

    “eet” : It may be easy to move the responsibility away from the gnome foundation and blame this site for its mistakes. But the thing is that regardless of this site’s ways of reporting, which you keep criticizing it won’t change the fact that the gnome foundation is simply not taking the right decisions here.

  5. -ezzzE*t said,

    November 25, 2007 at 11:03 am

    Gravatar

    Who are you to define ‘right’?

    You might not have noticed, but GNOME is a representative democracy. Its board is an elected body that has full and legitimate authority to make decisions about its direction. I will never be able to make _everyone_ happy with its decisions, but it listens, and being elected it represents the views of the _majority_ of the people interested enough in GNOME to cast a vote.

    Once the board is elected, the board makes the decisions; not a bunch of extremists that just shout loud enough.

    Go take part in the board elections, or run for GNOME’s board yourself, if you’re not satisfied with any candidate.

    Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from an abusive Internet troll

  6. Roy Schestowitz said,

    November 25, 2007 at 3:03 pm

    Gravatar

    Once the board is elected, the board makes the decisions; not a bunch of extremists that just shout loud enough.

    Once again you’re trying portray us as crazy barbarians. Don’t think that I don’t notice your constant nymshifting, E-mail address shifting, and wildly changing IP addresses. If you don’t try to be polite, we’ll have to delete your comments, since we can’t cage them before they are posted with personal attacks and strong language.

  7. Jeff Waugh said,

    November 25, 2007 at 3:06 pm

    Gravatar

    Note that I haven’t asked Roy to contact me before publishing anything about GNOME. I have suggested to him that he contact me (or the Board) to do research so that he can post facts (or opinions of the stakeholders involved) instead of posting insinuations.

    He has this opportunity because we are an open community. Despite all the ugly attacks, I’ve kept my door open. He has yet to visit.

  8. Roy Schestowitz said,

    November 25, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    Gravatar

    Jeff,

    In a sense, I reach out to GNOME when I research stuff. I don’t necessarily write to individuals, but I can read their Web pages and read (even cite) articles they write. When it comes to asking a question, it is hard to know which one/s to ask. The only solution is peer review (send complete text for feedback or editing), which for blog posts and comments isn’t quite so pragmatic.

  9. Jeff Waugh said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:18 pm

    Gravatar

    The only solution is peer review? When you have open access to the stakeholders who know what’s going on, and you write such dramatic, combative insinuations? You are attempting to avoid the obvious in every way you possibly can, which is sad for the community you hope to assist.

  10. @w'e"eät said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:36 pm

    Gravatar

    @Roy Schestowitz: “Don’t think that I don’t notice your constant nymshifting, E-mail address shifting, and wildly changing IP addresses.”

    You are paranoid. I only change my name here to avoid your censorship. I bet you would be deleting Jeff Waugh’s comments already, if you could do that stealthily, Great Defender of our freedom…

    Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a known, pseudonymous, nymshifting, abusive Internet troll

  11. Roy Schestowitz said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:38 pm

    Gravatar

    If I asked questions for clarification on issues where there’s uncertainty, there would still be some bits that someone is unhappy with. It is not possible to predict what phrase will rub someone the wrong way. For example, an innocent technical misunderstanding can lead to the wrong conclusions. Sometimes, the sources that get cited are wrong (e.g. LinucPlanet on de Icaza intending to rewrite GNOME with Mono). I’m doing the best that I can given the time which is available. Things are moving quickly in the Linux world nowadays.

  12. Roy Schestowitz said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:41 pm

    Gravatar

    You are paranoid. I only change my name here to avoid your censorship.

    Ta muchly for the contradiction du jour.

    I bet you would be deleting Jeff Waugh’s comments already..

    Never. He is polite. Unlike you, who is going as far as verging Godwin’s Law… and you have annoyed other Webmasters as well… ones that deleted you comments and wanted you banned for good.

  13. @w'e"eät said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:53 pm

    Gravatar

    “and you have annoyed other Webmasters as well”
    One, to be exact, and yet we still talk/post to one another. He’s got class, though he is a lunatic; you are just a slimeball.

    Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a known, pseudonymous, nymshifting, abusive Internet troll

  14. @w'e"eät said,

    November 25, 2007 at 4:58 pm

    Gravatar

    And BTW, I think Rodney Dawes has has something to say to you:

    “Well, for all those people who want to bemoan the world with their trifles about Microsoft trying to subvert the free world, here’s a hint:

    Shut the hell up!

    If all you’re going to do is bitch and moan about it, then you’re not part of the solution. You’re part of the problem.”
    http://wayofthemonkey.com/?date=2007-11-25

    Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a known, pseudonymous, nymshifting, abusive Internet troll

  15. rlilly@yahoo.com said,

    November 25, 2007 at 5:22 pm

    Gravatar

    Rodney Dawes is from Novell past or present?

  16. Jeff Waugh said,

    November 25, 2007 at 5:27 pm

    Gravatar

    Few in GNOME appreciate Rodney’s input.

  17. Roy Schestowitz said,

    November 25, 2007 at 5:39 pm

    Gravatar

    From Rodney Dawes:

    “So kudos to those involved in the ECMA OOXML process. More of you should be involved.”

    *LOL* I can’t wait to blog about some of the latest bits from FFII, e.g.:

    http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-28334/bundesfinanzhof-wants-less-microsoft

    “Microsoft lobbyists should not draft German procurement policies or interpret them legally.”

    http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-28337/microsoft-sponsors-din-conference

    “Microsoft sponsors DIN conference

    An american company sponsors a lobby event for its Open XML format which is organised by the German standard body and takes place in a German ministry.”

    http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-28290/gnome-foundation-in-kahoots

    “Gnome foundation in kahoots?

    summary:

    Having a delegate in the ECMA T45 Committee the Gnome foundation clarified its involvement in a superb standard development and bashes the vendor.

    [...]

    The Gnome foundation actively participated in the ECMA fast-tracking of Open XML as a sock puppet for Novell. Now the Foundation clarified its position that came under recent criticism.”

  18. @w'e"eät said,

    November 25, 2007 at 5:54 pm

    Gravatar

    Really a repulsive little slimeball, isn’t he?

    Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a known, pseudonymous, nymshifting, abusive Internet troll

  19. Rodney Dawes said,

    January 3, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    Gravatar

    Jeff. Please. You aren’t GNOME. You’re just one of the “people” in it. Plenty of people appreciate my commentary. While you aren’t one of them, please do not go slandering like you are speaking for the entire community. There are just as many people who don’t appreciate your input, output, or anything else about you either.

    But whatever. You know the truth. Those who see short, fall far. But have fun trying to mock me some more. I’m sure your insults will be very professional and appear in other blog comments across the internet as well.

  20. Roy Schestowitz said,

    January 4, 2008 at 1:39 am

    Gravatar

    Rodney, You’re talking to the man who called de Icaza “an embarrassment” and called me all sorts of things as well.

What Else is New


  1. Links 9/1/2017: Civilization VI Coming to GNU/Linux, digiKam 5.4.0 Released

    Links for the day



  2. Links 9/1/2017: Dell’s Latest XPS 13, GPD Pocket With GNU/Linux

    Links for the day



  3. Update on Patent Trolls and Their Enablers: IAM, Fortress, Inventergy, Nokia, MOSAID/Conversant, Microsoft, Intellectual Ventures, Faraday Future, A*STAR, GPNE, AlphaCap Ventures, and TC Heartland

    A potpourri of reports about some of the world’s worst patent trolls and their highly damaging enablers/facilitators, including Microsoft which claims that it “loves Linux” whilst attacking it with patents by proxy



  4. Mark Summerfield: “US Supreme Court Decision in Alice Looks to Have Eliminated About 75% of New Business Method Patents.”

    Some of the patent microcosm, or those who profit from the bureaucracy associated with patents, responds to claims made by Techrights (that software patents are a dying breed in the US)



  5. Eight Wireless Patents Have Just Been Invalidated Under Section 101 (Alice), But Don't Expect the Patent Microcosm to Cover This News

    Firms that are profiting from patents (without actually producing or inventing anything) want us to obsess over and think about the rare and few cases (some very old) where judges deny Alice and honour patents on software



  6. 2017: Latest Year That the Unitary Patent (UPC) is Still Stuck in a Limbo

    The issues associated with the UPC, especially in light of ongoing negotiations of Britain's exit from the EU, remain too big a barrier to any implementation this year (and probably future years too)



  7. Links 7/1/2017: Linux 4.9.1, Wine 2.0 RC4

    Links for the day



  8. India Keeps Rejecting Software Patents in Spite of Pressure From Large Foreign Multinationals

    India's resilience in the face of incredible pressure to allow software patents is essential for the success of India's growing software industry and more effort is needed to thwart corporate colonisation through patents in India itself



  9. Links 6/1/2017: Irssi 1.0.0, KaOS 2017.01 Released

    Links for the day



  10. Watchtroll a Fake News Site in Lobbying Mode and Attack Mode Against Those Who Don't Agree (Even PTAB and Judges)

    A look at some of the latest spin and the latest shaming courtesy of the patent microcosm, which behaves so poorly that one has to wonder if its objective is to alienate everyone



  11. The Productivity Commission Warns Against Patent Maximalism, Which is Where China (SIPO) is Heading Along With EPO

    In defiance of common sense and everything that public officials or academics keep saying (European, Australian, American), China's SIPO and Europe's EPO want us to believe that when it comes to patents it's "the more, the merrier"



  12. Technical Failure of the European Patent Office (EPO) a Growing Cause for Concern

    The problem associated with Battistelli's strategy of increasing so-called 'production' by granting in haste everything on the shelf is quickly being grasped by patent professionals (outside EPO), not just patent examiners (inside EPO)



  13. Links 5/1/2017: Inkscape 0.92, GNU Sed 4.3

    Links for the day



  14. Links 4/1/2017: Cutelyst 1.2.0 and Lumina 1.2 Desktop Released

    Links for the day



  15. Financial Giants Will Attempt to Dominate or Control Bitcoin, Blockchain and Other Disruptive Free Software Using Software Patents

    Free/Open Source software in the currency and trading world promised to emancipate us from the yoke of banking conglomerates, but a gold rush for software patents threatens to jeopardise any meaningful change or progress



  16. New Article From Heise Explains Erosion of Patent Quality at the European Patent Office (EPO)

    To nobody's surprise, the past half a decade saw accelerating demise in quality of European Patents (EPs) and it is the fault of Battistelli's notorious policies



  17. Insensitivity at the EPO’s Management – Part V: Suspension of Salary and Unfair Trials

    One of the lesser-publicised cases of EPO witch-hunting, wherein a member of staff is denied a salary "without any notification"



  18. Links 3/1/2017: Microsoft Imposing TPM2 on Linux, ASUS Bringing Out Android Phones

    Links for the day



  19. Links 2/1/2017: Neptune 4.5.3 Release, Netrunner Desktop 17.01 Released

    Links for the day



  20. Teaser: Corruption Indictments Brought Against Vice-President of the European Patent Office (EPO)

    New trouble for Željko Topić in Strasbourg, making it yet another EPO Vice-President who is on shaky grounds and paving the way to managerial collapse/avalanche at the EPO



  21. 365 Days Later, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas Remains Silent and Thus Complicit in EPO Abuses on German Soil

    The utter lack of participation, involvement or even intervention by German authorities serve to confirm that the government of Germany is very much complicit in the EPO's abuses, by refusing to do anything to stop them



  22. Battistelli's Idea of 'Independent' 'External' 'Social' 'Study' is Something to BUY From Notorious Firm PwC

    The sham which is the so-called 'social' 'study' as explained by the Central Staff Committee last year, well before the results came out



  23. Europe Should Listen to SMEs Regarding the UPC, as Battistelli, Team UPC and the Select Committee Lie About It

    Another example of UPC promotion from within the EPO (a committee dedicated to UPC promotion), in spite of everything we know about opposition to the UPC from small businesses (not the imaginary ones which Team UPC claims to speak 'on behalf' of)



  24. Video: French State Secretary for Digital Economy Speaks Out Against Benoît Battistelli at Battistelli's PR Event

    Uploaded by SUEPO earlier today was the above video, which shows how last year's party (actually 2015) was spoiled for Battistelli by the French State Secretary for Digital Economy, Axelle Lemaire, echoing the French government's concern about union busting etc. at the EPO (only to be rudely censored by Battistelli's 'media partner')



  25. When EPO Vice-President, Who Will Resign Soon, Made a Mockery of the EPO

    Leaked letter from Willy Minnoye/management to the people who are supposed to oversee EPO management



  26. No Separation of Powers or Justice at the EPO: Reign of Terror by Battistelli Explained in Letter to the Administrative Council

    In violation of international labour laws, Team Battistelli marches on and engages in a union-busting race against the clock, relying on immunity to keep this gravy train rolling before an inevitable crash



  27. FFPE-EPO is a Zombie (if Not Dead) Yellow Union Whose Only de Facto Purpose Has Been Attacking the EPO's Staff Union

    A new year's reminder that the EPO has only one legitimate union, the Staff Union of the EPO (SUEPO), whereas FFPE-EPO serves virtually no purpose other than to attack SUEPO, more so after signing a deal with the devil (Battistelli)



  28. EPO Select Committee is Wrong About the Unitary Patent (UPC)

    The UPC is neither desirable nor practical, especially now that the EPO lowers patent quality; but does the Select Committee understand that?



  29. Links 1/1/2017: KDE Plasma 5.9 Coming, PelicanHPC 4.1

    Links for the day



  30. 2016: The Year EPO Staff Went on Strike, Possibly “Biggest Ever Strike in the History of the EPO.”

    A look back at a key event inside the EPO, which marked somewhat of a breaking point for Team Battistelli


CoPilotCo

RSS 64x64RSS Feed: subscribe to the RSS feed for regular updates

Home iconSite Wiki: You can improve this site by helping the extension of the site's content

Home iconSite Home: Background about the site and some key features in the front page

Chat iconIRC Channel: Come and chat with us in real time

CoPilotCo

Recent Posts