[odf-discuss] Linspire's MOOX initiatives

[Daniel Carrera]

Christian Einfeldt wrote:
> So to a newbie like me, it seems as if the upside of even broken 
> interoperability between ODF and MOOX is greater than the downside.  

A lot of people would feel that way. I find it difficult to balance the 
pros and cons right now. Your position has a lot of merit.

> And here is a really big thing.  If Microsoft is contending that plugins 
> break Microsoft Office, doesn't the mere fact that the Sun ODF plugin 
> works tend to refute that claim?

Did Microsoft make such a claim? If they did, then your point about the 
Sun plugin is right on. I just hadn't heard that before. Are you sure?

> So it makes sense to continue to push for legislation in North America 
> and elsewhere requiring ODF, because we will win in some areas; we will 
> start debate in other areas; and we will bleed Microsoft of energy and 
> cash even in the areas where we lose.

+1

> But IMHO, it might not be a bad 
> fall-back idea to have this kind of interoperability that Linspire is 
> talking about, even if it is broken anti-interoperability 
> interoperability.

I don't know enough to either support or oppose this position. My 
concern with the Linspire deal is about the patents part.

> At the same time, I don't think that I am interested in encouraging 
> widespread adoption of this broken anti-interoperability 
> interoperability, and I am planning on scaling back my advocacy for 
> Linspire.

Ask Jean about Ubuntu. Just today she was telling me about how great and 
newbie-friendly the latest version is. And Shuttleworth has said that 
Canonical will not sign any patent deal with MS. Ubuntu is also Debian 
based, and it has a GUI program for installing applications that is 
probably not much more difficult than CNR.


> Maybe this broken 
> anti-interoperability interoperability MOOX plugin is a step in that 
> direction.  I really don't know.  I wish I did.

It's open source and not tied to MS Office. Maybe we can find uses for 
it that MS didn't anticipate. Like having a mail server that 
automatically converts any MOOX file to ODF.

> we will see a true digital tipping 
> point.  Hence the name for our film. 

Speaking of which, how is the film coming?

> This goal is what drives me every day.  To break the MS business model 
> we don't have to hit 51 % market share on the desktop.  IMHO, all we 
> have to do is hit 20%, and Microsoft's business model begins failing on 
> its own, and true competition might then begin to enter the desktop 
> consumer retail market even in North America, the most backward region 
> on earth.

I think I heard that Firefox recently reached 20% :-D

Cheers,
Daniel.