Dear Subir, How about just taking this as one of the theme for our Software Freedom Day campaign also. Not for the prize but for wining our Freedom.
Best Regards, Hempal Shrestha At / À 06:00 PM 7/5/2007, Subir Pradhanang wrote / a écrit: >Hi all, > >This one is to fight "Microsoft's attempt to >gain international standardisation for its Office format. > ><http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1623>http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1623 > > > >--- >Win 25,000 euro for fighting Microsoft >By James Archibald >5 July, 2007 > >The Foundation for Free Information >Infrastructure (<http://www.ffii.org/>FFII) has >offered a prize for the best campaign against >Microsoft's attempt to gain international >standardisation for its Office format. > >The FFII, a non-profit association dedicated to >the development of information goods for the >public benefit based on open standards, free >competition and copyright, have put up a 25,000 euro prize for the Kayak Award. > >The individual or team that makes the best >effort to helping the International >Standardization Organisation >(<http://www.iso.org/>ISO) fight off Microsoft's >lobbying stands to win the prize and the chance >to present their campaign at the FFII's annual conference in November. > >FFII campaigner Benjamin Henrion, founder of the ><http://www.noooxml.org/>noOOXML.org site, >explained: "Microsoft is spending millions on >rent-a-crowd support for international >certification for its proprietary Office format, >OOXML. But we already have an ISO standard for >word processing, called ODF (Open Document >Format). OOXML is Microsoft's attempt to subvert >this existing standard, to keep its >strangle-hold on the world of documents. It's >time for activists across the world to stand up, >to reach out to their national ISO bodies, and >to explain why Microsoft's format is not open, not a standard, and not XML." > >FFII president Pieter Hintjens explained the >origin of the prize's name: "In July 2005, >before the vote on the Software Patents >Directive, a group of young campaigners took to >kayaks, in the waters outside the Parliament >building in Strasbourg.They fought a symbolic >battle with industry lobbyists who had rented a >yacht. The Kayak symbolises individual skill and >collective action." (click ><http://gallery.ffii.org/v/BxlStbRizox050706/>here >for photos of the "naval battle") > >To qualify for nomination for the Kayak Award, a >team or campaigner must show how they made a >significant impact on the ISO process, "to >defend ODF and stop Microsoft's attempts to >corrupt the international standards-setting >process", as Henrion put it. "Anything goes: >websites, letter-writing campaigns, going to meetings, even kayaks." > >And, yes, South Africans can enter. > >Henrion said "This is open to any people or >group from any country. They just have to show >that they are doing what they can to convince >their country and national body that OOXML is not a standard." > >The deadline for nominations is 31 August, and >the award winner will be announced on 30 September 2007. > >For more details see <http://www.noooxml.org/kayak>www.noOOXML.org/kayak . >--- > >Cheers, >Subir > > Best Regards, Hempal Shrestha ________________________________________________________________________________ Program Officer Bellanet Regional Secretariat, Asia SAP-I, P.O. Box:23025 , Sanepa, Lalitpur, NEPAL Tel: 00977-1- 5522234 / 5528612 (Extn: 106) Fax: 5553126 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: http://www.bellanet.org http://www.sapint.org http://www.asia-commons.net ________________________________________________________________________________ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ FOSS Nepal mailing list [email protected] http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal Community website: http://www.fossnepal.org/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
