[odf-discuss] Gnome Foundation and ECMA

[Inge Wallin]

On Wednesday 31 October 2007 05:59, Jeff Waugh wrote:

> I'll finish this mail with an observation: If the goal of ODF advocates is
> to get Microsoft to drop OOXML and join in the development of a single open
> standard document format (wouldn't that be awesome for the industry and our
> users?), how much incentive do you think they'll have to join us if this is
> how we treat our own?

I think that with this paragraph you show that you have misunderstood the 
whole question.  It is not our goal to make MS drop OOXML.  For one thing, we 
are not that naive, and for another the file format is probably very good if 
you are MS and have old code with lots of strange features that you need an 
XML format for.

Our goal is to prevent this mess of a file format to become an ISO standard. 
That is something completely different.  OOXML is the latest move in the 
continuing game of customer lock-in. It is our task to counter that move and 
help give the user a chance to experience more freedom of choice between 
vendors and applications and real competition for a change. That is what you 
get if ODF is adopted at a high enough rate.

> I'm not sure a witch hunt is the best siren song we can offer... :-)

I know that GNOME is not behind OOXML.  What you must understand it that this 
gives the *impression* to people not in the know that you are.  And MS will 
be able to exploit it to no end with half-truths and other forms of 
propaganda.  We don't want MS to get those weapons, and to be honest, you 
should be very worried over the future of the reputation of GNOME.  At least 
I would be if I were in your (plural) clothes.

	-Inge

-- 
Inge Wallin               | Thus spake the master programmer:               |
                          |      "After three days without programming,     |
inge at lysator.liu.se       |       life becomes meaningless."                |
                          | Geoffrey James: The Tao of Programming.         |