04.10.08
Microsoft is on the Ropes in Europe
A few days ago we wrote about European nations that rejected OOXML. We later showed how Microsoft/CompTIA lobbyist Jan van den Beld made implicit threats against governments that ‘dare’ to refuse and ignore OOXML.
The European Union has never been quite so tolerant of aggressive behaviour. In fact, in a new document which has just been published it deals another big blow to Microsoft. The European Parliament has begun evaluating a migration to GNU/Linux on the desktop, joining the French and Italian cabinets which already did so.
The European Parliament’s IT department is testing the use of GNU/Linux distribution Ubuntu, OpenOffice, Firefox and other Open Source applications, the British MEP James Nicholson explained last week in a letter to Italian MEP Marco Cappato.
It’s not the end of this story. At the same time, reports are circulating about what seems like an embargo proposal.
Member of EU Parliament asks if Microsoft should be excluded from public procurement
[…]
Of course, if the EU Commission wants to find a way to avoid such a penalty, no doubt it can do so. We saw how creative rule-bending/creating can be in the ISO. But the very fact that this question is being placed on the table is remarkable in itself, don’t you think? Something significant has shifted in Microsoft’s universe. And if they are afraid to make such a move, due to the ubiquity of Microsoft software and their dependence upon it, might that alone not inspire some deep thoughts about the wisdom of doing something about that vulnerability?
There are many other reports about it. You can see it summarised here:
- Euro MP thinks Microsoft should be banned from government contracts
- Green MEP says Microsoft should be excluded from EU contract awarding procedure
- Is Microsoft Now Banned from EU Contracts?
The next few posts will bring newer stories about misconduct that is related to OOXML. █
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.