Microsoft is encouraging its business partners to promote its Office Open XML specification (OOXML <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML>) to the Indian Bureau of Standards (BIS) and Ministry of IT. This move has incensed supporters of the rival OpenDocument Format (ODF<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument>) who fear that the "soft" Indian state may not be able to stand up to Microsoft pressure tactics.
Open Source Initiative (OSI <http://www.opensource.org/>) board member Raj Mathur claims to have a copy of the Microsoft letter to NGOs<http://wiki.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/OpenStandards/MsNgoLobby>. "Microsoft has 'persuaded' several non-profit organizations," Mathur writes, "to bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML proposal." Mathur describes the letters as "form letters" due to their template-like nature. "As per our discussion," the letter says, "please find attached the draft letters -- please cut/edit/ delete and change it any which way you find useful. Also attached is the list of NGOs who have sent the letters. And attached is also a document that details wht [sic] this debate is all about. Look forward to hear from you in this regard. In case you decide to send the letters, can you please send me a scan of the singed [sic] letters that you send out. Thanks this will help me track the process." The letters themselves ask the NGOs to paraphrase "We support OXML [sic] as a standard that encourages multiplicity of choice and interoperability giving us the ultimate consumer the choice. [The NGO] recognizes that multiple standards are good for the economy and also for technical innovation and progress in the country, especially for smaller organizations like us, who require choice and innovation." After advising the NGO to write about their work, the Microsoft letters asks them to paraphrase "[The NGO] also supports OXML as this does not have any financial implications thus releasing our resources for welfare and development of society." complete news here: http://www.linux.com/feature/128528 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://ilug-cochin.org/pipermail/mailinglist_ilug-cochin.org/attachments/20080311/956d91e3/attachment.html
