OOXML OPS and the GPL: A disappointing surprise from the SFLC | Gray Matter

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:56:35 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

I view the spec as confusing, obtuse, error-ridden, x86-centric, incomplete, and redundant. Microsoft sat on the board of ODF for _years_ without offering any help on the minor items ODF didn't provide that they wanted. Now that governments start pressing for permanent standards on document storage, MS throws out this half-baked item and expects a reward for good behavior. Maybe somebody on the board of directors at our company likes it, but the technical folks having to add more work are less than happy about this beast.

If they had to go with XML, couldn't they at least have allowed standard XML with attributes and the like instead of x86 specific, binary incompatible, past-version deprecating, standard-avoiding, crash on normal XML.. ... mess... that they have offered for consumption? Oh.. but wait, I'm sure the BRM fixed that in the week given. I'm sure the pretty version will show up any day now.

Tags: gpl grey-matter iso microsoft ooxml ops

Posted by: garyedwards

Is Sun Friend or Foe?

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:46:01 -0000

Comments:

Published May 22, 2007, this comment was written in the aftermath of List Enhancement Proposal donnybrook at the ODF OASIS TC.

It was at the height of our List Enhancement battle with Sun that OASIS stepped in their threat to boot the OpenDocument Foundation. OASIS carried out that threat in May. The lesson we learned is clear and unequivocal. Opposition to Sun, in either the marketplace (da Vinci) or in the OASIS ODF TC, can be quite hazzardous to your health.

Not that this comes as any surprise. Nearly five years ago in 2002, when i first joined OASIS to work on OpenDocument, it was clear that OASIS was a big vendor consortia. While OASIS does have an affordable "Lawn Jockey" program, Sun is clearly calling all the shots on the OASIS ODF TC. This is why ODF is bound so tightly to the OpenOffice feature set.

Still, we thought the "Lawn Jockey" loophole could be used to balance out the interests and control of the OASIS big vendors. We were wrong. And it took near five years for the obvious to finally sink. Well, "sink in" thanks to the OASIS hammer and boot.

~ge~

posted by garyedwards

Tags: gpl iso oasis odf ooxml xml

Posted by: garyedwards

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OOXML OPS and the GPL: A disappointing surprise from the SFLC | Gray Matter

Is Sun Friend or Foe?