Should India be held Hostage to Unilateral Views on Open XML?



Over the weekend, a piece in Rediff.com raised my interest:

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/07ms.htm

The journalist makes some interesting observations there:

  • Microsoft "cajoles" Indian NGOs to support OOXML
  • Quote from Raj Mathur member of Linux User Group

Something's there just isn't fundamentally right and here's why:

Microsoft "cajoling" NGOs: If Microsoft writes to its supporters to request their support for something that they believe in and are authors of, what's so wrong? if MS wudn't support what it has lead creating, who would do it ? in addition, nowhere in the letter does MS seems to be forcing NGOs to do anything.. the choice is left to NGOs to make up their mind themselves.

however, burning the neighbour's house for your vested interest is a past time of a chosen few and the journalist seems to have chosen not to have exploring that.

here's a quote from a letter authored by Ashish Gautam, Open Standards Specialist - India, IBM India sent on March 15, 2007 to govt officials and others:

"Please start influencing our national body - BIS, the press, STQC and state IT bodies. Also start asking BIS and MCIT to post all the documentation on their website and make it available to the public...This way you can point people to the documentation and they can become familiar with all of the information as we commence the balloting process..."

Now this is a letter you would call "cajoling" partners. Notice the use of words - influence... and that too for govt. bodies like BIS & state IT bodies? for independent entity as press? this seems downright illegal to me..

finally notice "as we commence the balloting process" .. well i wonder who is commencing the balloting process - IBM or India?

In quoting the Linux User Group lead, the journalist has done his research and reported what Linux User Group feels. however, what seems to be forgotten is the view from the Microsoft User Group community. Mr. Journalist, would you care to write to Microsoft Developer User Group in Delhi to get their view. And if you do, here's the link to their community which is more than 2200 members:

http://groups.msn.com/dotnetsig

The journalist maybe oblivious to the fact that community does exist in Microsoft world in a much larger and active fashion.

IMHO, govt. should encourage multiple platforms and multiple standards so that benefit from innovation may accrue to the end customer. Vote FOR the OpenXML and FREE India of closed mindsets!

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4 Comments

  • anandk

    Thanx for the nice and informative read !

  • VG

    ^^ Welcome. :)

  • abhishek kant

    this is simply ridiculuous.. the tone of the mail from IBM... i really think BIS needs rescuing from the IBM lobby..
    the whole ISO standardisation process shows the power of community and how it can help technologies evolve. here are my thoughts:
    http://www.abhishekkant.net/2008/03/openxml-and-iso-standardisation.html

  • Nibu babu thomas(MVP)

    Ignore him(Journalist) in my opinion. Microsoft rocks :wink: . IBM mail looks outrageous to me. :mad:

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