Friday, February 08, 2008

Microsoft faces third EU probe over OOXML!

Andy Updegrove has written:

"The Wall Street Journal and Information Week reported this morning that EU regulators have announced a third investigation into Microsoft's conduct on the desktop. This latest action demonstrates that while the EU has settled the case against Microsoft that ran for almost a decade, it remains as suspicious as ever regarding the software vendor's conduct, notwithstanding Microsoft's less combative stance in recent years. The news can be found in a story reported by Charles Forelle bylined in Brussells this morning. According to the Journal, the investigation will focus on whether Microsoft "violated antitrust laws during a struggle last year to ratify its Office software file format as an international standard." The article also says that the regulators are "stepping up scrutiny of the issue." The Journal cites the following as the type of activity it will look into."

My take:

Dear Microsoft:

Why not just adopt ODF like the rest of us? If it falls short, you can participate in a well established standards process and explain to all of us why ODF needs to change. We'll listen and maybe we'll learn from you. OOXML is going to make the Office XML of era 2000 look elegant by comparison.

PLEASE: work within the community, not by yourself.

5 comments:

  1. Duane, you've lifted your post word for word from my own blog entry, and then submitted it to Slashdot under your name, and without a link to my blog. Needless to say, that's really shoddy conduct, and I hope that you'll never do this again. Posting an apology at your blog would be the right thing to do, don't you think?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andy:

    I owe you a huge apology and want to make it publicly. yes - this inadvertently happened. While the mechanics are not public, I'll definitely make sure you are credited. I hope you accept my apology.

    Duane

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andy:

    I have made sure this would never happen again. This was due to a communication error which was communicated to me as a text message, free to use. I would *never* use someone else's words intentionally.

    Again, apologies and I'll make sure these comments stay here to make a public record.

    Duane

    ReplyDelete
  4. Duane,

    Explanation and apology accepted. No hard feelings; stuff happens.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I owe you a huge apology and want to make it publicly. yes - this inadvertently happened. While the mechanics are not public, I'll definitely make sure you are credited. I hope you accept my apology. thanks

    ReplyDelete

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