[odf-discuss] Miguel on OXML

[Lars D. Noodén]

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007, Alex Hudson wrote:
> I doubt people will agree with all of his comments :) -

That's an understatement.
MS seems to trot him out when using an 'appeal to authority' fallacy
and Enderle, Thurrott or Didiot won't do.  i.e. "I use OpenSource(tm)
and endorse ..."

The gist of his objections, if I understand correctly, are attacking the 
ODF formula spec (which is under development and the first of its kind in 
the history of the world), using a strawman argument about the size of 
Ecma 372, and accusing any opposition as being politically motivated.

He, perhaps deliberately, seems to be missing the point that part of the 
problem with the size of Ecma 372 is not the size of the spec in and of 
itself, but that the spec itself is very, very convoluted, and unclear. 
Thus size exacerbates those problems.

One of the main marketing points, the alleged support for older MS 
formats, appears to be not documented in the spec.  An item which he 
misses.

He also seems to imply that OOo and ODF are somehow the same, the format 
is not an application nor, unlike Ecma 372, not bound to any individual 
application.  Open Standards are not about individual packages or even 
Open Source.  So that's another logical fallacy he uses.

He also uses another tactic common to other MS shills in dismissing any 
criticism as 'bashing' or 'politically motivated'

So basically, the whole article appears to be a troll, but does bring up 
which points the MS movement is pushing in their current lobbying effort.

He seems to be part of the FUD team MS is running full time these days. 
I do wish he would simply go away and take Enderle, Thurrot and Didiot
with.

-Lars
Lars Noodén
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