06.08.07

Digest: Standards, Junk Patents, and Some More FUD

Posted in FUD, Patents, Standard, OpenDocument, Asia, Open XML, OpenOffice at 11:01 pm by Roy Schestowitz

New Bill-busting Target for Microsoft

The State of New York will evaluate the use of truly open standards in order to preserve and disseminate its vital information. Reporters seem pessimistic because, having looked at past stories, it is clear that Microsoft is above the American law. It will continue to fight for lockin and a monoculture.

A bill introduced in the New York state legislature on Wednesday would require the state government’s IT director to study the issue of using open document formats within agencies, although the proposal doesn’t seek to mandate an immediate or long-term move to such formats.

[…]

Microsoft also is seeking the ISO stamp of approval for Office Open XML, the default file format in its Office 2007 software. But the software vendor has fought the open formats bills in every state as part of an effort to protect its Office franchise.

On so-called ‘Junk Patents’

Lock your doors and then hide your spouses and children. The infamous monster is back…

USPTO Increases Scope Of Amazon’s 1-Click Patent

It apparently found its way into the hands of a sympathetic (and impatient) USPTO Examiner who had earlier defended his friends for approving 1-Click in the first place and referred 1-Click naysayers to a letter to the WSJ penned by the ex-Commissioner for Patents.

For those who do not know, this patent exemplifies the sad state of the USPTO. It’s a classic. There has never been a better opportunity to shout out in favour of a reform.

Fear and Loathing in Asia

We have some news coming from Asia/Singapore (ComputerWorld to be precise). In a new series of articles, there is evidence to suggest that we must put an end to the FUD once and for all, sooner rather than later.

One article suggests that Microsoft’s FUD tactics are working in Asia, despite the fact that they seem to backfire (i.e. do more harm than good) elsewhere in the world. In another article, a rhetorical question, Who’s afraid of whom?”, is being asked. As we attempted to clarify before, the fragile side is Microsoft, but it hides this fear using projection. It ’s what psychologists have come to know as ‘the bully complex’. There appears to be another article, which talks about the GPL. It is critical, but its speaks on behalf on industry, not developers.

Novell’s Enemy or Novell’s Sugar Daddy?

It is disappointing to see that while Novell does everything is can to please Microsoft (it must), Novell’s struggles in its ‘fight’ against Microsoft, which has lust for a greater share of the pie.

The Redmond giant’s latest iteration of its e-mail platform is expected to win a great many customers — mainly at the expense of IBM’s Domino and Novell’s GroupWise.

Novell’s CEO said that Novell would fight Microsoft, but are we not seeing them just forming an axis against other smaller rivals? Novell seems to have lost focus completely.

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