Quoting Robin Laing <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Sam Hiser wrote: > > On Tue, 2005-11-01 at 09:00 -0700, Robin Laing wrote: > > > >>Sam Hiser wrote: > >> > >>>http://samhiser.blogspot.com/2005/10/commonwealth-senate-meets-on-holloween.html > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >>To me it sounds like some people are concerned about losing some > >>election funding from Microsoft more than what is best for their > >>constituents. > > > > > >>From my cursory vantage, it looks like a) the Senators have a sincere > > desire to ensure the Process was solid; and b) do only have a partial > > grasp of their facts. > > > > B) exists because Microsoft has such overwhelming access and also > > because it is the Existing standard and people go with what they > know. > > > > I think they will come around when the facts are presented in a > broadly > > informative manner and when it becomes apparent that the open > standards > > in question have broad Democratic support. > > > > Remember, this stuff is new to most people. We've been dealing with > it > > for over 5 years...the technologists for decades. There will be a > > gestation period for the new audiences -- including the Reps. > > > > If it takes Mass a bit longer to establish confidence in the process, > > then all other states will simply be enabled to move all the more > > rapidly. > > > > I'm still an optimist and confident the cynical view is not yet > germane. > > > > -Sam > > > > > > > > > > I just thought of something. Wasn't Microsoft's first document > against Linux with FUD called the Halloween paper or something like > that. :) > > One thing that keeps coming up is the cost. I really doubt that > Microsoft is going to allow Massachusetts to update to Office 12 for > free. I wonder if that will come out. > > I do agree that if Mass does do this right, it will be hard to stop > any other state or organization from doing the same. > > I just wish I could ask the all important question to the Microsoft > representative. "What prevents Microsoft from implementing and fully > supporting the Open Document Standard that you were involved with the > development of?"
I've downloaded the ODF-to-MSOffice converter from Sourceforge and looked at the license. There is absolutely nothing stopping anyone from using it and the MSOffice APIs - as reading material - to write a Save-As module for MSOffice that saves as ODF. Choice of License up to implementor - if one really wanted to rub Microsoft's nose in it, one could use one of the horribly restrictive MS "Shared Source" licenses, with vague noises of patents possibly somewhere, but nowhere in actual sight ... (One could even license the putative module under multiple licenses, with a caveat that the only license that would be relevant, that would come into effect if Microsoft wished to use the source code, would be the GPL, quoting while doing so, various Microsoft techies on the topic of "Intellectual Property". ;) It might even be a good idea, and it would leave Microsoft with egg on its face. Wesley Parish > -- > Robin Laing > > --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > "Sharpened hands are happy hands. "Brim the tinfall with mirthful bands" - A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge "I me. Shape middled me. I would come out into hot!" I from the spicy that day was overcasked mockingly - it's a symbol of the other horizon. - emacs : meta x dissociated-press --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
