01.14.08
Brace Yourself for a Month of Dirty OOXML Tricks
Today it resumes. Preparations for the BRM in Geneva have already kicked off and heavy Microsoft lobbying will be applied to ensure that nothing interferes with the process of making proprietary formats something that is seen as ‘open’. It is natural to assume that rules will be broken, lies will be told, and briberies may be offered. We have seen plenty of that before and if Rob’s mental note is anything to go by, the party has just begun and there’s plenty of Kool-Aid in the bar.
Within the next 24-hours, Microsoft will submit to JTC1 a set of proposals for addressing the 3,522 comments that accompanied OOXML’s failed ballot last September. We’ll no doubt hear a lot of yip-yip-yahooing on their end. Expect a major media campaign. I don’t want to take away the surprise, but I’m hearing that journalists are being flown into Redmond next week from around the world for briefings on OOXML.
Aren’t we already used to seeing Microsoft as it lies to the media about OOXML? We shall see how far Microsoft manages to take it this time. Hopefully there will be no letters from dead people.
The video is not new, but it’s worth adding here and sharing with friends who know nothing about those who represent them in Geneva, most of whom will be obedient puppets. █
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.