[odf-discuss] Response from a GNOME Foundation board director

[Pamela Jones]

This is sophistry.   This issue will impact on the acceptance of FOSS in 
the market, and you argue that you like the tech of MSOOXML so that 
outweighs that factor?

Daniel argues that after all Intel and Novell sponsor it. But who are 
they to the community?  Should we accept destructive behavior and 
direction from corporate interests because they have money and want to 
make some more?  Look at what the corps did to unix.  They have no 
ability to see anything but short term gain, and they are perfectly 
willing to cut off their noses to spite their face.

Here's what Richard Stallman, on the Gnome Foundation board, wrote 
yesterday on the gnome list:


"Is joining ECMA TC45 really like using a library?  According to your
own words, it is engaged in modifying the OOXML spec:

     That is inaccurate.  Whom do you think will be responding to
     national body issues ?  ECMA, and by proxy TC45, have the ability to
     propose changes in the spec to resolve issues, and to raise their
     own issues preemptively for resolution.

I gather that such modification intended to bring about the acceptance
of OOXML as an ISO standard.  (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

If that is the case, anyone who is represented on the ECMA committee
is helping to promote the ISO acceptance of OOXML -- which would hurt
our community substantially.  If the GNOME Foundation is to be
represented in on the ECMA committee, it should explicitly counteract
that backfire effect by doing something else.

One way to do so is by publishing a statement, addressed to all
countries that vote in ISO, asking them to vote against any and all
versions of OOXML as a standard"

Jody Goldberg wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 31, 2007 at 11:00:14PM +0000, Ian Lynch wrote:
>> To answer Marbux, I think that the Gnome issue is different from the
>> profit making companies because the values of a not for profit
>> organisation are not the same as for profit making company. Generally
>> for profit companies exist for the benefit of their shareholder, not for
>> profits exist for some noble cause. Its quite easy to see why Gnome's
>> involvement with ECMA would be seen as different from Novell, Sun or
>> Apple by the community.
>>
>> Again, think people, think emotions, think perception not technical
>> details. This is about human and community relationships, not coding or
>> legal analysis. 
> 
> As an implementer I disagree with those priorities.  
> This is about technical details, not perception.
> This is about writing the code necessary to get something done.
> 
> The gains from having better interoperability with MS (OOX and
> binary formats) outweigh the miniscule political cost.  As much as I
> enjoy Gnumeric, the notion it is going to materially alter the
> decisions by the national bodies in ISO the decision by ISO seems
> ridiculous.
> 
> On the other hand it seems certain that there are already people who
> will benefit from being able to use Gnumeric in place XL thanks to
> improvements in our filters.
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