[odf-discuss] Joining the list to answer questions

[Alberto Barrionuevo]

Jody,

   thanks for entering in the conversation. So kindly from your side.

On Wednesday 31 October 2007 19:23:34 Jody Goldberg wrote:
> > And what exactly are you doing currently in connection with ECMA and
> > MSOOXML?  Are you working on the comments, resolving issues?
>
> As mentioned currently, nothing.  Prior to the Fast-Track vote I was
> involved in clarifying the questions Novell and I had raised.

My question is, if you are making nothing currently (no profit for you/us), 
what is the sense to involve the support of Gnome to the ECMA committee 
standardizing OOXML? Microsoft is using your support to argue that its format 
was developend in an open process (aka "is open" -sic-) and that indeed the 
free software movement is backing it. Strategically such a Gnome support 
together with your *unneeded* official presence at ECMA currently is only 
helping to "the competitor"'s, as you name to Microsoft, interests to get its 
ISO 29500 without many problems (changes that Microsoft won't like). They can 
now argue that Gnome is backing OOXML somehow because they have participated 
in its "open" development (when actually Gnome has done little or nothing and 
indeed would have no voting rights).

Why you and Gnome cannot wait until March 2008 to officially join to the ECMA 
committee in a way that you avoid disturbing the DIS 29500 balloting, 
resolution and consensus process? At the end, you won't get any extra 
interoperability information neither will influence in the development of 
ECMA-376 before that time. ECMA-376 is frozen right now because the DIS 29500 
process at ISO/IEC. You can only profit from ECMA-376 standardization when 
they decide to create a new version of it. 

As I see, your official presence at ECMA is just damaging the free desktop and 
free office suites interests.

Thanks in advance for your answers,
-- 
Alberto Barrionuevo
Vice President FFII
www.ffii.org