12.10.07
Microsoft Sends Paid Army to Fight OpenDocument Format in Europe
Remember Holland’s decision to adopt OpenDocument Format (ODF)? Well, as long as you have many people on Microsoft’s payroll (or blood supply, as in the case of Novell), no policy favourable to OpenDocument will be tolerated. Just ask people who lost their job over it.
Anyway, Holland is no exception. Have a look.
Proposed legislation that would mandate the use of the Open Document Format (ODF) across the entire Dutch government has infuriated Microsoft.
[…]
Microsoft Netherlands has engaged in fierce lobbying in an attempt to derail the plan. The company argues that the current definition is too narrow, specifically by mandating ODF rather than open standards in general
It isn’t the first time that we mention cases where Microsoft money is being used to combat OpenDocument format. This is unacceptable. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Platform Strategy Manager in Germany talks about Office Developer Conference discounts as well.
Remember:
OpenDocument is all about fair competition.
OOXML is, as a Microsoft executive puts it, “a simple matter of [Microsoft’s] commercial interests!“
In other, more sidal news, Microsoft tries to disguise its many OOXML crimes by demonising IBM. We wrote about this yesterday. Microsoft believes that by trying to portray IBM as evil, its own sins will be forgotten. Sadly for Brian Jones et al, the Internet never forgets. When all of this is over (maybe even beforehand) Microsoft might be sued for the trail of corruptions it has left in its attempt to derail ODF, the ISO, and even the integrity of world governments.█
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.
SubSónica said,
December 11, 2007 at 3:40 am
Oh, yeah. The good ol’ heavy politician lobbying when MSFT sees its biggest captive customer (governments) trying to escape the decades-lasting lock-in.
Will they fly Ballmer over there to lobby top politicians as they did in Spain in 2006 when the largest regional government (Andalusia) started to consider a migration to Linux? (He also did so with Munich, and simmilar dismal maneovers were performed in Denmark in order to get support for software patentability bills trying to be introduced in the EU.)
http://www.google.es/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canalsur.es%2Fhtml%2Finformativos%2F-ArchivoNoticias%2F2006%2F10.Octubre%2F17%2F171006-bp-005-AND.htm&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=es&ie=UTF8
Original news (in spanish):
http://www.canalsur.es/html/informativos/-ArchivoNoticias/2006/10.Octubre/17/171006-bp-005-AND.htm
This is very much geostrategic politics. They are trying to avoid the “domino effect” a countrywide adoption of FOSS or truly-open standards (this excludes MSOOXML) and its endorsement by an important government would have over the entire international environment. By isolating the “rotten apple” and overthrowing any initiative by public institutions to adopt FOSS and open standards they try to avoid the growing awareness about the advantages of open technologies and its suitability to serve best the governments’ obligations to the citizens and the best use of taxpayers’ hard earned money. Word is spreading fast and high:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/opensource/cases/index_en.htm
But they keep trying to disinform and propagate FUD:
http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2006/10/16/lobbyists-denigrate-open-source-in-leaked-letter-to-ec
The alternative is caving to Microsoft wishes. Ballmer’s is that all governments end up locked-in forever with agreements like the one they are trying to get in Chile:
http://www.google.es/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fayerwayer.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fciudadanos-chilenos-ahora-son-propiedad-de-microsoft-corporation%2F&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=es&ie=UTF8
http://www.fayerwayer.com/2007/07/ciudadanos-chilenos-ahora-son-propiedad-de-microsoft-corporation/
More analysis on these issues:
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsubsonica.blogsome.com%2F2006%2F10%2F17%2Fpresiones-a-nuestros-representantes-electos-en-contra-del-software-libre-y-del-open-source%2F&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
It is our obligation to keep dennouncing all these maneovers against all of us and the public interest.
SubSónica said,
December 11, 2007 at 4:29 am
I also want to rescue a couple of valuable pieces of opinion on the comments to the same news as appeared at slashdot:
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/10/2317232
It *IS* all about Microsoft.
I say this jokingly, but also quite seriously. Jokingly because technically, it isn’t about Microsoft… it could easily have been about Word Perfect if they were still the dominator in document formats. Truly, it is about perpetual access to data through the used of non-proprietary and fully documented formats. “ODF” isn’t here to stay… it might last another 10, maybe 20 years at most before something far superior comes along. But ODF is fully documented and could be translated into whatever the next great format standard will be.
But seriously, it *IS* about Microsoft because Microsoft has lost the trust of their users and customers. They have done this with amazingly consistent and persistent erosion. With every new release, with every security problem, with every denial, with every DRM addition, with every copyright protection service, with every Genuine Advantage(r), with every BSA audit, with every criminal conviction, with every attempt to evade or forestall punishment, with every shameless act for which they have become quite notorious in the IT community… the ignorant public has started to notice what upsets their nerds ever so much. And now they are starting to re-think the way they store their data because at any moment, they want to be able to change their operating platform. They trusted Microsoft for at least the past 10 years with their operating systems, applications and data. Microsoft had their, our and even my personal trust for quite some time. The trust is gone or disappearing and now people are taking action.
And is it really the best way for Microsoft to handle this problem? I mean to lobby and complain? Why not attempt to save their business by changing their course and direction!? What is so bad about change?! Is actual competition too much for Microsoft to handle? Can’t they just make a “better product” instead of playing all of these government games?
Perhaps the Microsoft apologists would care to suggest a possible reason why they can just serve the interests of their customers rather than fighting to save their business model? The customer wants ODF. Why shouldn’t Microsoft provide that to them?
[…] And the next comment: […]
“And is it really the best way for Microsoft to handle this problem? ”
It is the only way they know how.
“I mean to lobby and complain? Why not attempt to save their business by changing their course and direction!? ”
They can no more change this course and direction than we can change our own DNA (excluding retroviruses, etc). Besides, they’d have to want to change. And they don’t. They pride themselves in this method and culture and approach.
“What is so bad about change?!
It hurts. It is unfamiliar. The outcome is not certain. Like Dell now trying to do retail. Don’t think that was the first thing on their list. They are having to play in a game in which they are newcomers.
“Is actual competition too much for Microsoft to handle? ”
Yes. They don’t know how to compete the normal way. With an actual salable product, on the merits.
“Can’t they just make a “better product” instead of playing all of these government games?”
This IS their product. It is what they do, what they are best at. What they do better than anyone else. Software is just the arena. They are not so much a software company as they are a “protect windows and office at all freaking costs” company. That is the bottom line to everything they do.
Roy Schestowitz said,
December 11, 2007 at 4:51 am
SubSónica,
You have provided some very valuable references that tell a great story. All I can add is the following related citation and story, whose shades return to mind.
Gates blackmailed Danish gv’ment
Microsoft will continue to play whack-a-mole with ODF and Free software. It’s like a totalitarian regime targeting any little seedling of revolt or opposition. The least we can do is keep our eyes open and have it all documented. Thanks for all the information. Information is our friend and with over 10,000 pageviews per day our message is getting out there.
eet said,
December 11, 2007 at 3:38 pm
You are one crazy bunch of hillbillies, gotta give you that! Have a nice day in Jesusland!
Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from an incarnation of a known (eet), pseudonymous, forever-nymshifting, abusive Internet troll that posts from open proxies and relays around the world.