NZ, Sweden, Hungary Reflect OOXML Turmoil 146
A number of readers are sending news of the progress of Microsoft's attempt to get OOXML standardized by ISO. First off, New Zealand has voted "no" on the question. In Sweden, after the uproar following the "yes" vote there, a Microsoft representative has admitted buying Swedish OOXML votes (link in Swedish — follow the Read More... link below for some translated quotes). Computerworld has also picked up the Sweden story. Finally, from Hungary, reader ens0niq writes that the Minister of Economy and Transport has sent a letter to the General Director of the Hungarian Standards Institution requiring that the June 25 "yes" vote be re-done because of irregularities. Our correspondent notes, however, that many Microsoft partners have joined the voting committee in the meanwhile, so the result could be a replay of Sweden's experience.
Here are some quotes from the Swedish article translated by our anonymous correspondent.
-We have been informing our business partners about the process at SIS. What is going on, what the time plan is and that Microsoft thinks it is good if OOXML becomes a standard.
-In a letter from Microsoft, our business partners were informed that they were "expected" to participate in the SIS meeting and vote yes. As a compensation they would get "market benefits" and extra support in terms of Microsoft resources.
-This was a mistake and the letter was sent by a single employee on his own initiative without sanctions from Microsoft. He also quickly realised his mistake and tried to recall the letter.
-I can understand the critique about coup-like voting. But I claim the voters knew the issue well and had their own interest in OOXML becoming an ISO standard.
(Interviewer) -Has this harmed Microsoft?
-Time will tell. But almost all customers we have been talking to thinks it would be good if OOXML became an ISO standard.
Sweden was a Phyrric victory (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes MS got the Swedish vote - but I think they will find it to be a Phyrric victory.
Have they no shame or ambition? (Score:5, Insightful)
Let me get it out of my system... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, I know, nothing new here. Just needed to vent
Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
I mean, what incentive to the employees now have to do the right things? Well, if there's going to be blame, you're literally on your own, and always have been. If there's a success, it's definitely not your success.
Is it me, or is there a shift towards a "something wrong? blame the individual!"-style behaviour?
B.
Scapegoat (Score:5, Insightful)
Had it been a real rogue employee that had sent those letters then we'd be hearing he/she had been fired instantly - since this is effectively fraud/falsification in the company's name. We haven't seen any such firing, hence it must be supported from higher above.
The problem for Microsoft is how much publicity this story got. Apparently more than they had anticipated.
Re:A question? why does this matter? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sweden was a Phyrric victory (Score:5, Insightful)
This one is simply devastating. I've made copies of all the articles and documentation- including the spin statement where they spin "It was still within the rules" for the Microsoft partners to join the ratifying body.
Now what I will do with those documents is send them to my board of directors. They will read them.
The result: I have the power when needed to say to Microsoft "Sorry, we like your products, but we can't support your business methods"
I've been reducing the Microsoft presence in my datacenter for a year or so and deploying Microsoft products only where they make sense. That's about 50% of the time, and usually on the desktop.
I don't have a lot of power to be the catalyst for change, and Microsoft isn't going anywhere (Thankfully, they make some good products). However, if I send the Microsoft rep packing enough times with negative comments about ethics... perhaps in a small way I can make things better.
Exactly! (Score:3, Insightful)
Why even vote on it? (Score:5, Insightful)
Are you really trying to apply logic here? (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, that's the point. However, if it becomes a standard anyway, that doesn't mean that after the fact MS is going to be voiding any patents! (The only "hope" would be if it were necessary to void the patents in order to get standards acceptance.)
Remember that any overlap between logic and committees is pure coincidence!
Re:As I sit next to my colleague... (Score:3, Insightful)
Check list for OOXML (Score:5, Insightful)
Encumbered by patents and other "intellectual property"? Check.
Unimplementable without 500 man-years of effort and a whole lot of inside knowledge? Check.
You've got to hand it to Microsoft, this is brilliant stuff. It's just as much of a lock-in as the old binary data ever was but they've got ISO voting to make it a new standard. It's amazing what a few free lunches can buy.
And everyone who agrees should do something (Score:5, Insightful)
It's easy to bemoan the fact that there's this large corporation with a virtual monopoly on desktop operating systems and office tools. The wailing and gnashing of teeth across slashdot about this is almost ceaseless.
My suggestion (and something I'm doing myself) is to think of ways to encourage people to move away from Microsoft products. If you "support" family and friends, recommend Firefox if they ask you about security. Encourage someone to try out a live CD of Ubuntu. If you know someone who is thinking about buying a new computer who is considering a Mac, provide arguments in favor and offer support.
I've moved every computer I own (five) off Windows. My wife and I both have Mac laptops (good riddance to that Dell crap), our HTPC is a mini, our server and the PC in our garage are running Ubuntu. When my sister-in-law wanted a Mac, I encouraged her husband to get her one, and offered to her with support (he's a Windows guy). When my dad asked about internet security problems, I pointed him to Firefox and gently suggested that IE/Windows isn't the best choice.
I'm not suggesting (as some here do) that you should be ramming Open Source or a non-Windows OS down someone's throat. I wouldn't ever advocate being pushy about it, since you catch more flies with honey... but when it comes up (and for those of us who are "support" for family and friends, that's pretty often) it never hurts to gently, subtly point out alternatives to MS. If every geek who villifies MS on slashdot does their small bit, we can eventually make a difference.
Just my $.02
Ban the new members! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not all countries are like America (Score:5, Insightful)
If you bribe someone in a foreign country, it is called graft/corruption/bribery/etc and is a crime.
If you do that in America, it is called 'lobbying' and is as American as apple pie. If only those corrupt foreigners stop calling it bribery and call it lobbying, the pure as milk American companies would not have to engage in this crime.
Re:A question? why does this matter? (Score:5, Insightful)
Political bodies are starting to pass laws requiring that official documents be published in an open format. If Microsoft doesn't rush their format through standardization, these governments will start moving to ODF. Once the ship of state starts moving, it is very difficult to stop or turn. When the ship of state moves in the ODF direction, a huge portion of the economy, every vendor or contractor supply that government, will move with it. The government's power to set standards is that powerful. For an example, just try to find a new CRT monitor that isn't Energy Start compliant.
If this huge section of the market moves to ODF, Microsoft will no longer have the ability to lock users into MS-Office and force upgrades. Now if you open a DOC file in OpenOffice and it doesn't look right, it is OpenOffice's fault. Once there are several vendors selling ODF solution, resolution of fault will fall back to does it comply with the standard. User's have been forced to pay for the latest releases of MS-Office just to remain compatible with the latest format tweaks (that a partner may be using). MS has long been suspected of making gratuitous changes to the format just to force users to buy a new version. They won't be able to tweak an open and published standard, users won't be forced into gratuitous 'upgrades'. The market power and the cash cow will both disappear very quickly.
The countries need to vote 'no' as you state, but they don't have to do it in a hurry. A delayed approval will allow many of the laws to go into effect and start turning the ship of state. Each day the approval is delayed is another day of erosion of the DOC file format.
Re:Microsoft statement on the Swedish vote 'buying (Score:1, Insightful)
What should we expect was said off the record?
Looking it as a whole, I have to really question your ability to understand what the word ethics means. Your argument appears to rest on the principle that if you follow the letter of the rules, you are behaving ethically. Which leads to the inevitable conclusion: you don't have ethics - you've replaced them with "avoiding criminal behavior."
A mountain out of a molehill, indeed.
Re:Not all countries are like America (Score:3, Insightful)
While at it, it will be worthwhile to look if MSFT did this somewhere under the table. This will allow applying USA laws on graft abroad.
Re:As I sit next to my colleague... (Score:5, Insightful)