12.09.07
Microsoft on ‘War Mode’ in ”Scandalous” OOXML
”Scandalous” is what the experts have recently called it
Yes, indeed we’ve seen this before. Microsoft’s sheer arrogance gets its best. Microsoft yet again thinks that nothing will stand in its path of corruption. Yes, a strong word is used here because corruption, lies and fraud have been an intgral part of Microsoft’s pursuit for OOXML standardisation. This is very well documented and Microsoft will have no chance to hide the truth.
”Is Microsoft still trying to portray IBM as unethical and dangerous in order to justify its own corruption of the whole system?“It seems like Brian Jones finds new excuses to declare war or describe this situation as a war. He even puts the blame on somebody else by taking the word “standards war” completely out of context. In BetaNews, when Brian Jones claimed victory amid a stunning defeat, some said that he pulled a George Bush (reference to the war in Iraq). Speaking of blame passing, how about those mythical weapons of mass destruction? Is Microsoft still trying to portray IBM as unethical and dangerous in order to justify its own corruption of the whole system? There have already been insinuation about IBM’s role in Kenya, so this type of strategy isn’t unprecedented.
Anyway, here is what Brian says and here is a decent response.
Just because MS produces 90% of the office documents, does not give it carte blanche for the ratification of their defacto formats as an ISO. Perhaps it is this arrogance, why MS fails to understand what “Open” is and for that matter why OOXML is not.
All the conjecture means nothing; it won’t make the square peg fit in the round hole. The fact still remains that OOXML does not represent a common ground for the majority. Is represented by one company and a few entities aligned to that company financially for the sole purpose of keeping the “playing field” lopsided.
So MS and their friend ECMA (who does not mind MS’s vision of standards) are now finding that the ISO process is definitely not friendly. This is not because of any bias against Microsoft, but because the “standard” MS is proposing flies in the face of everything ISO has attempted to do in its long history. What is hard not to understand.
So, Brian, if there’s any ‘war’ here then it is, as Larry Ellison once said, a case of Microsoft against everyone else in industry and the customers as well. You guys are not above the law (you mustn’t be) and as long as you continue to corrupt the system in your vicious pursuit for money and power, we shall catch you, name you, and shame you. Even those involved in ISO have already named and shamed you for virtually ‘raping’ the innocent system that was never subjected to quite so much abuse. █
Related articles:
- Evidence of Microsoft Influencing OOXML Votes in Nordic States
- Microsoft Memo to Partners in Sweden Surfaces: Vote Yes for OOXML
- The OOXML Problem
- Corrupt countries were more likely to support the OOXML document format
- Microsoft accused of more OOXML standards fiddling
- Microsoft’s secretive standards orgs in Former Yugoslavia
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.