03.19.08
More Microsoft OOXML Dirty Tricks: PR Lies
Standard lies and de facto lies
The lies carry on, so it’s important to catch them and have them properly documented. Here is some of the latest where Microsoft is seen claiming IBM’s support for OOXML.
Over the weekend, Microsoft published another public effort to show “hey, we’re the good guys” on their efforts to take a heavily modified version of the Office 2007 document formats and get it rubber-stamped as an international standard. Oddly, the open letter from Chris Capossela asserts that IBM is on the MS bandwagon…
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IBM doesn’t support ecma Open XML. But who ever expects MS to be clear communicators?
As mentioned a few days ago, silence does not mean consent, yet it does not stop Microsoft from claiming that Apache too ’supports’ (OO)XML.
Microsoft’s oversight of IBM’s denials is clearly not accidental. It is part of a well crafted and continuous disingenuous plan to convince NBs at all cost. There is already so much evidence of Microsoft going far beyond what most would consider normal lobbying behavior it is sickening. For one, I’m not ready to forget the case of the NGOs in India. Talk about dirty practices.
But what really is at the bottom of Microsoft’s claims is that basically any software that handles XML supports OOXML.
Using the same premise and contention, Microsoft dared to claim that Google supports OOXML (no, it explicitly objects to it, even vigorously). Remember that incident? This is far from the first attempt by Microsoft to ‘prove’ support for OOXML by its most major rivals. Sheer dishonesty is one thing, but as the blog above clearly confirms, suspected bribery cannot be forgotten, either. Vis-a-vis that India incident, Groklaw has just brought up this report.
Microsoft is urging Indian NGOs to support OOXML (i.e. Office Open XML) format - and persuade Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting MS’s OOXML proposal.
“At the end of the day, Microsoft hardly cares it it lies, cheats, bribes and bullies as long as its gets its ’standard’ approved.”Don’t ever forget what happened in India. Most reports seem to neglect the fact that Microsoft offered tens of thousands of NGOs large sums of money just days before the vote. They are missing an important piece of this puzzle, which is the incentives being offered.
At the end of the day, Microsoft hardly cares it it lies, cheats, bribes and bullies as long as its gets its standard approved. It relies on people’s short memory span. It assumes people will forget after the storm settles. It’s the same story with the vicious attacks on OLPC — a project which they now try to hijack. █
“You know what Microsoft’s problem really is? They’ve lost the ability to feel ashamed.”
–PJ, Groklaw
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.