Fellow geeks,
Even that this post is mostly directed at Portuguese people I must write it in English so that you, my foreign friend can understand what is happening [in Portugal] about OOXML vs ODF.
Last week a technical committee failed OOXML as an ISO standard in the US [see Rui Seabra's post]. Curiously, Microsoft had some partners in that same committee but I guess they weren’t enough.
Recently a Portuguese group was established to serve the same purpose, to determine whether OOXML shall become an ISO standard or not and not surprisingly Microsoft did their homework and got not only the president seat but also half-a-dozen partners “inside” of it.
If you thought this was funny check this out! Apparently this bunch-of-impartial-tech-companies has rejected a proposal from Sun Microsystems (Portugal) to become an active part, arguing that “there are no empty chairs in the room used for the meetings”. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!
I guess Sun Microsystem should spend a room with a couple more chairs, don’t you agree?
Some time ago I asked you to sign a petition against OOXML becoming a standard in Portugal. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?
Actually, the Portuguese petition is already closed by now, since it was delivered in the still-happening Tech Comission meeting today. Yet, there’s this international petition that anyone should sign.
By: Mind Booster Noori on July 16, 2007
at 7:27 pm
Specially since this isn’t true. For seating people there were seats enough for almost 30 people, but they chose to steer away one of the most important big companies in terms of open standards.
They further refused representativity to universities, libraries, and other entities that care a lot more for structured documents than Primavera or Jurinfor, Microsoft parners, or most ASSOFT registered companies.
Microsoft alone wasted three seats. ASSOFT wasted two more, business partners of Microsoft wasted a few ore spots.
The President, Microsoft representative, tried to shut me up twice. At the second attempt I accomplished my promise of speaking louder if I had to in order to be heard, refusing to be cut off.
By: Rui Miguel Silva Seabra on July 16, 2007
at 8:14 pm
[...] a atenção para estas tristes ocorrências… Eu fiz a minha parte ao lançar mais um post, de entre inúmeros outros bloggers nacionais, etc…! Não podemos continuar a deixar Portugal, um país [...]
By: LeviFig.net » OOXML e o Portugal que temos… on July 16, 2007
at 10:05 pm
[...] Portugal, three separate reports (here, here, and here) suggest the committee (which has a Microsoft employee as its president!) refused [...]
By: The Open Sourcerer » OOXML can’t stand up without support. on July 16, 2007
at 10:20 pm
[...] something about a small meeting room and a machine that goes ping. Read about it (in english) at Paulo Pires blog, ou em português no blog do Paulo Vilela. [...]
By: KDE Sound Theme Status « Freelance Samurai on July 16, 2007
at 11:03 pm
[...] With a document formats monopoly (not unification), science will be hindered. But why? Why would anyone want this? The UK government is infatuated with Microsoft. Maybe they like the money, maybe they just like the ‘class’. Tony Blair and Bill Gates are friends. We already know this. The UK is not the only victim however. Look what happened in Portugal just days ago. [...]
By: Boycott Novell » Open Standards and the GPL in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2007
at 3:35 am
This “tecnnical comission” is beginning to study +6000 pages of a trully controversional specification. Other NBs are working since April and have found *lot* of comments ( technical, editorial, general, etc. ). Others technical committees, like USA Inicits/V1, failed to reach consensus about this beast, after +3 months of work, meetings and emails.
If this CT trully respect the standardization process, should vote “no with comment: give me more time to analize this thing” or “abstain with comment: i have no time to give you a fair answer”.
Any other vote is at least suspicious.
By: egberto on July 18, 2007
at 3:54 pm
Dear Paulo: There is an international effort to stop this false standard. Microsoft is trying to subvert the ISO on its sole benefit. MSOOXML is nothing more than a duplicate “me-too” format devised to co-opt ODF/ISO 26300 and to keep customer lock-in in documents and office applictions. And to keep everybody -but specially governmental institutions, which are one of the biggests MSFT cash cows- away from migrating to OpenOffice.org or other Office suite solutions (Either FOSS or otherwise -StarOffice, KOffice, etc-)
Please, redirect your proposed petition to the international one (there is info in Portuguese there):
http://www.noooxml.org/petition-pt
More than 20000 people already signed!
Best regards and good luck with the votation in Portugal (hey! its a ***NICE*** country!) on July 31
David B. (Spain)
By: DavidB on July 19, 2007
at 7:06 am
Hi David, thanks for your comment. I’ve posted before about the Portuguese and the international petition against OOXML as an ISO standard.
Thanks for your support, hope Spain doesn’t face the same problems
Hasta hermano,
PP
By: Paulo Pires on July 19, 2007
at 9:55 am
[...] OOXML vs ODF the war is still ongoing (in Portugal).. « Paulo Pires – Blog Microsoft did their homework and got not only the president seat but also half-a-dozen partners “inside” of it. (tags: microsoft ooxml open+standard iso fight) [...]
By: ][ stefano maffulli » links for 2007-07-19 on July 19, 2007
at 12:28 pm
Thank you Paulo
I usually only write in Portuguese because my target is the Portuguese community
In English, in your blog, these news have spread like fire.. amazing
Paulo Vilela
By: Paulo Vilela on July 19, 2007
at 11:23 pm
Hi Paulo,
I thank you, actually it was you who published these news. I just translated them
Keep up,
PP
By: Paulo Pires on July 20, 2007
at 9:45 am
[...] more committee baiting they do, just makes them look like some kind of gangland-mob whose power and control relies purely on [...]
By: The Open Sourcerer » Who really owns YOUR computer documents? on July 20, 2007
at 4:01 pm
[...] con Microsoft. C’è chi vede dietro a questo fenomeno, per altro rilevato anche in USA, Danimarca, Portogallo e altri paesi, la volontà di Microsoft di influenzare il voto a favore del proprio formato. [...]
By: Romeo Pruno : PI: Open XML, lo standard ISO è in forse on July 23, 2007
at 5:27 pm
[...] Antarctica instead than Rain Forest. Oh well. The JCP is almost gone. ISO is supposedly for sale. The OSI is apparently bending to powers that be. Am I the only one seeing a [...]
By: Elzeviro » Let there be badgeware. And more. on July 26, 2007
at 9:34 pm
[...] posted the reasons before, and unfortunately things didn’t change. Sun and IBM were rejected to participate in the [...]
By: OOXML voted “Yes, with comments” « Paulo Pires - Blog on August 1, 2007
at 9:54 am
I disagree
Can you give more info?
By: Derek on September 2, 2008
at 11:25 am
[...] something about a small meeting room and a machine that goes ping. Read about it (in english) at Paulo Pires blog, ou em português no blog do Paulo [...]
By: Freelance Samurai » KDE Sound Theme Status on January 7, 2009
at 12:35 am
Thanks for your support Paulo.
By: MSN on January 19, 2009
at 5:16 pm
Cool Great!
Thanks for your support Paulo.
By: Bookmark TH on October 1, 2009
at 7:08 am
Specially since this isn’t true. For seating people there were seats enough for almost 30 people, but they chose to steer away one of the most important big companies in terms of open standards.
By: алхимия on November 4, 2009
at 6:52 pm