[odf-discuss] 76K people have now signed the anti-OOXML petition

[Graham Lauder]

On Friday 11 January 2008 12:53:14 Christian Einfeldt wrote:
> hi,
>
> In case you have not signed the petition opposing OOXML as an ISO standard,
> or haven't seen the vote count recently, you can see both here:
>
> http://www.noooxml.org/petition
>
> I have submitted this petition to Digg here.  Please help push this story
> to the front page, so we can get more signatures!
>
> http://digg.com/software/Petition_opposing_OOXML_reaches_76_505_users_in_45
>_languages
>
> I also submitted the story to the Slashdot firehose, and it is here:
>
> http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=461342
>
> Thanks either way for considering a digg and a vote in the /. firehose.
> Here is a copy of the story that I submitted to /.
>
> *"One might think that something as arcane as a data format standard would
> not generate international outcry, but more than 76,505 people in 45
> languages <http://www.noooxml.org/petition> have signed a petition to
> oppose Microsoft's bid to gain ISO status for its OOXML format, and the
> rate of new users is accelerating. The ISO vote on OOXML as a standard is
> coming on February 25-29, and all parties agree that the stakes are high.
> In September 2007, Doug Mahugh, Microsoft's Open XML evangelist, called ISO
> status the 'Gold
> Standard'<http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2007/09/microsoft-tech-.html>and
> said that it was in Microsoft's commercial interest to expedite
> approval
> of OOXML as an ISO standard, and, in its haste, actually lost one country
> when Sweden withdrew its vote for
> OOXML<http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/30/211227>due
> to admitted irregularities in the vote, and saw controversy in the
> votes
> of New Zealand and
> Hungary<http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/30/1323216>as well."
> *

There was no controversy with the NZ vote, unless you consider a negative vote 
controversial.  Quite the opposite, the interesting thing about the NZ vote 
is that there was no shenanigans from MS at all, probably because they 
realised any attempt to jack it up would back fire.  New Zealanders have zero 
tolerance for corruption.  Just so much as a whiff from an American 
corporation would have resulted in serious consequences, especially seeing 
that the State Services Commission was on the opposite side of the table t 
that meeting.

Not controversial at all, just a vote that went against them.  

-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

INGOTs Assessor Trainer
(International Grades in Office Technologies)
www.theingots.org

Member: OpenDocument Fellowship
www.opendocumentfellowship.org