On 04 10, 08, at 11:58 AM, Gabriel H. Mercado wrote: > once again I am going hoping you guys to please reply to the > questions I placed before, here it is again. > • how does it affect you specifically (being an advanced user / > someone in the know / a professional in a related field). > • how does OOXML affect the typical computer user (your average > Jose and Maria). > • what is its relevance to your industry, if any > • what would've been the proper procedure in choosing an open > standard > • how important is an open standard > • add anything else you feel will help our cause > Please provide your name and relevant info about you (ie the kind of > work you do, position, etc., that'd give weight to your opinion, > even if you are just a 'concerned citizen' would do) >
Hi Gary: The approval of Office OpenXML as an ISO standard should not have been given for the following technical reasons: 1.) There is already an existing ISO standard for office documents: the Open Document Format. This format is proven to be implementable by anyone, reuses existing open standards like SVG, MathML, etc, aside from having been implemented by so many, including Sun, IBM, Google, the KOffice team, etc. Contrast this with OOXML that has no existing implementation other than MS. Hint: the ability to merely read the format is NOT interoperability. 2.) The fast track process was not meant to be abused as an avenue to submit a 6000-page specification with a lot of open issues. Obviously, time will not be enough to answer truthfully all pending issues given the amount of time. Much more even implement this properly. VOTING OFF PENDING TECHNICAL ISSUES IS NOT THE SAME AS ANSWERING THEM! 3.) The ISO standardization process is not the proper venue to standardize "proprietary" legacy behavior of office applications. Things like the 1900 bug, encapsulation of binary data in XML(!) that cannot be reimplemented faithfully with a competing product, the use of Microsoft's proprietary VML for vector graphics as opposed to SVG which is an open standard, behaviors to emulate Word95, Word97, etc. have NO PLACE in an ISO standard. Now there are other reasons, such as political lobbying, strong arm tactics, anomalous voting procedures, et.al., that it seems rather unusual that this level of acrimonious behavior should precede the formation of a standard. Well, the usual process is that standardizing bodies are usually in harmony in ratifying a standard, working COLLECTIVELY and CAREFULLY ADDRESSING ISSUES. What happened with OOXML is that aside from the level of bad faith, many technical issues were left unaddressed and voted down in RECORD TIME. While it is commendable that Microsoft finally opened up the specifications of its file formats, it's codification in OOXML form as a global standard only serves the intentions of its original proponent - Microsoft. To make OOXML an ISO standard is a travesty on the goals of standardization. (currently I'm a senior software engineer in a well-known social networking site that's number one here in the Philippines) > The point of this exercise is to collate your answers so that I can > put them all on the website. From this, I can summarize a PLUG > Official Opinion. You need to stand by your opinion, so choose your > words wisely. > > In fact, if you don't wanna follow those questions and make your own > statement, then by all means do so! Just send it either directly to > me or this list, so it can be counted. > > I hope to receive it soon. Many thanks and good luck to all of us. > > Gary > > > > Please ignore this if you've already submitted. > > > > > On Thu, Apr 10, 2008 at 11:02 AM, Mhac Janapin > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think now we have a clearer idea of what transpired, thanks to you > guys. > Now, what can we do concretely to reverse the decision. > Tell us the steps to take so we can start immediately. > > > On Thu, Apr 10, 2008 at 10:58 AM, jan gestre > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > First IMHO this government don't know what transparency really > means, second the composition of the OOXML committee is just damn > moronic, and third the person who turned the tide in favor of YES is > from a government agency (DTI), that same person doesn't even know > what the hell is OOXML. > > > On Thu, Apr 10, 2008 at 9:59 AM, Michael Cole <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > On Thursday 10 April 2008 9:38:27 am Michael Tinsay wrote: > > Not that it was not transparent, but I believe those opposed did > not do as > > much as those MS-backed proponents. There's still the appeals > process... > > If they have to come out in the newspaper and say OH it was > transparent and we > consulted all these people, means that they did not do proper > consultation. > > I never saw anything on it other from the Software freedom group. > > Then when I rang they just kept brushing me off. Never took a > message or > posted an email address for us to voice our objections. > > Not transparent.. > > > -- > Regards, > > Michael Cole > LPIC-1 > > > > "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man > who can't > read them. " > - Mark Twain > > "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more > than our > abilities." > — J. K. Rowling > > "Wear the old coat and buy the new book." > — Austin Phelps > > "I'm not a teacher: only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the > way. I > pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as you." > — George Bernard Shaw > > > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph > > > > -- > http://jangestre.wordpress.com > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph > > > > -- > Mhac Janapin > PBTS System Administrator > Baguio City, Philippines > ============= > http://mulingsilang.wordpress.com > ============= > I'm an Open Source Enthusiast. c",) > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph > > > > -- > http://kikay.exchange.ph > http://mom.exchange.ph > http://basketball.exchange.ph > ======================= > Make life easier for Webmasters! > http://spreadfirefox.com/community/?q=user/register&r=137994 > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph Paolo Alexis Falcone [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________ Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph
