Another Sane Open Source Man Infected with Microhate

Michael Tiemann, the respected executive director of Open Source Initiative [OSI], has lent that organization’s reputation for fairness to the movement for unnecessary government intervention in the free market, infected, I am afraid, with Microhate.

In this OSI blog post, Tiemann appears to be criticizing ISO for following its long-followed procedures in considering Microsoft’s (MSFT) application for approval of OOXML as an “international document format standard.” This is, of course, the same process ISO used to “approve” Adobe's (ADBE) PDF and Sun (JAVA)/IBM's (IBM) ODF (I think Tiemann would say, clearly dancing on the head of a pin, that there is some distinction between approaching ISO via OASIS as opposed to via ECMA. This is a distinction only lawyers can love).

In another blog post, Tiemann equates Microsoft with the early 20^th century Klu Klux Klan and WWII-era fascists. Apparently in Tiemann’s opinion it is a violation of the U.S. constitution’s thirteenth amendment and the UN Charter of Human Rights for Microsoft to ask for ISO approval the same way Adobe and Sun/IBM did.

Unfortunately another formerly sane person has caught Microhate, joining Columbia law professor Eben Moglen who equates Microsoft with the former Soviet Union, except, Moglen says, the Soviet Union never launched intercontinental ballistic missiles.

(Always keep in mind that standardizing IT document formats is a solution chasing a problem.)

Comments

[steveballmer]

The Notion of Standards ...

From Microsoft press conference announcing “new interoperability principles” this week:
BRAD SMITH: With respect to other (commercial) distributors, and users, the clear message is that patent licenses will be freely available.
STEVE BALLMER: Patents will be, not freely, will be available.
BRAD SMITH: Readily available.
STEVE BALLMER: Readily available for the right fee.

STEVE BALLMER: We are continuing to pursue the standardization of Open XML through the ISO process. It's certainly consistent with the notion of standards, and standards support, and a number of things articulated in the principles. We will, from time to time, in conjunction with industry participants, look to lead the standardization process, and sometimes we will look to be on the receiving end implementing important standards, and the principles comment is to both of those. So, yes, we are continuing through the standardization process with a variety of industry participants on Open XML.

Can anybody out there tell me what all of that meant? Good!