07.27.07
The Microsoft OOXML ‘Corruption Train’ Reaches Denmark (Updatedx2)
Yesterday we mentioned Spain and Portugal. Next stop: Denmark. Groklaw has the translation.
[PJ: The link takes you to an article in Danish, and Robin Theander was kind enough to translate a bit of it for us. Note that the article lists the members of the committee in Denmark that will be voting on OOXML and puts a star next to all those who are Microsoft partners -- 17 out of the total 31:]
A committee from Danish Standardisation is going to decide whether to recommend a Microsoft standard as an open standard internationally. A majority in the committee have close connections to Microsoft, however….17 out of the 31 members in the committee are so called Microsoft partners….The European interest organisation Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure accuses Microsoft of influencing the decision process by asking partners to join the national decision committee.
Here is the article in Danish.
Update: Groklaw followed up with an update/correction that is important.
[PJ: Again in Danish, but Groklaw's Karl E. Jorgensen translates for us what appears to be a foregone conclusion based on inaccurate information. And the public discussion period there is over:]
When Danish civil servants from 2008 click their way through the spreadsheet or text document, the programs on the PC must build on an open standard. This does not necessarily mean that Excel and Word are rejected in favour of open source software. Because at the same time, ECMA’s document standard OO XML is on its way as an open ISO standard….
“When the Open XML standard now comes up for public review in 30 countries, it is a good example of how an open standard is created. Everbody can comment on the draft standard, and then it is the task of the standards organistations to ensure the biggest possible concensous about the final standard, which subsequently can be accessed and used by everybody” says Pia Elleby Lange, Center Manager at Dansk Standard.
Update #2: it is also worth sharing the following new article. As it clearly shows, outside the United States, things seem brighter for ODF and its derivatives.
While the US is an important member of the ISO, it is still only one of many member nations, most of which are in the process of finalizing their own decisions on the bid. The general trend among non-US countries is for rejection of the Office Open XML fast-track proposal, with many nations voicing objections to the process and some to the file format itself.
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.
SubSñonica said,
July 28, 2007 at 3:55 am
Microsoft already tried to bully Denmark in the past:
http://wiki.ffii.org/Navision050215En
“Give us Software Patents or we Move 800 Jobs Out of Denmark”
Roy Schestowitz said,
July 28, 2007 at 4:28 am
http://www.comon.dk/index.php/news/show/id=28623
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/101301.html
Here’s Bob Sutor’s talk in Copenhagen:
http://boycottnovell.com/2007/04/07/ooxml-bob-sutor/
Speaking of “Give us Software Patents or we Move 800 Jobs Out of Denmark”, how about the recent Internet radio scandal? “Give us DRM or we tax you to death”.
Net radio “compromise” hinged on DRM adoption
,—-[ Quote ]
| As we reported Friday, the looming royalty crunch on Internet radio that
| would have begun today (July 15) was narrowly averted last week by a
| temporary reprieve from SoundExchange. Now it appears that a lasting
| compromise is indeed possible, but such a compromise will likely mean
| mandatory DRM (Digital Rights Management) for Internet radio.
`—-
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070715-net-radio-compromise-hinged-on-drm-adoption.html
Roy Schestowitz said,
July 28, 2007 at 7:27 pm
A short while ago I spotted a story where Microsoft has the US senate go batting for it in China. This immediately reminded me of another similar story of ‘extortion’ from 3-4 weeks ago. Microsoft lobbied for more visas a month or two ago. Bill Gates pressured the Congress. When his requests were declined, Microsoft said it would take its jobs to Canada (rather than employ in the States). At the time, this was said to be an extortion tactic intended to reverse the decision. It is similar to that case that you mentioned above (Denmark), but it is much more recent. It did not receive media attention or coverage.