Comments on: Microsoft on Standards http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html Thinking the unthinkable, pondering the imponderable, effing the ineffable and scruting the inscrutable Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:07:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: dario http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-1067 dario Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:52:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-1067 "NOTE: The links in this posting to the http://www.iowaconsumercase.org web site stopped working on 2/14/2007, within hours of that case being settled. This is unfortunate. If anyone has a backup copy of these referenced documents, or of the other exhibits, please let me know."<br/><br/>rob... this are working links:<br/><br/><a HREF="http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/3000/PX03096.pdf" REL="nofollow" rel="nofollow">http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/3000/PX03096.pdf</a><br/><a HREF="http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/010807/PLEX_5906.pdf" REL="nofollow" rel="nofollow">http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/010807/PLEX_5906.pdf</a><br/><a HREF="http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf" REL="nofollow" rel="nofollow">http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf</a> “NOTE: The links in this posting to the http://www.iowaconsumercase.org web site stopped working on 2/14/2007, within hours of that case being settled. This is unfortunate. If anyone has a backup copy of these referenced documents, or of the other exhibits, please let me know.”

rob… this are working links:

http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/3000/PX03096.pdf
http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/010807/PLEX_5906.pdf
http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-651 Anonymous Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:25:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-651 http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org

]]> By: zridling http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-551 zridling Fri, 02 Mar 2007 05:28:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-551 Why do I get the feeling that I'm watching the Fox News channel when reading those quotes? I feel so dirty for having used Office for so many years. Out, out damn spot! Why do I get the feeling that I’m watching the Fox News channel when reading those quotes? I feel so dirty for having used Office for so many years. Out, out damn spot!

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-422 Anonymous Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:57:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-422 What Bill Gates calls "proprietary IE extensions" is none other than what's publicly known as "VML".<br /><br />VML is a proprietary standard, which has been more or less documented in OOXML, but whose rendering is full of semantics and technical details that are left for one to discover. If you intend to reproduce a VML stack, budget for a good year of work at least.<br /><br />What's bad when it comes to VML? Well, certainly that never are there been more VML based parts in Microsoft formats than in OOXML.<br /><br />Example : in Excel, even comments and OLE objects are now in VML drawing containers. This was not the case before. And it's inconsistent with other drawn objects by the way.<br /><br />It's a total mess, and it's forced upon us vendors. What Bill Gates calls “proprietary IE extensions” is none other than what’s publicly known as “VML”.

VML is a proprietary standard, which has been more or less documented in OOXML, but whose rendering is full of semantics and technical details that are left for one to discover. If you intend to reproduce a VML stack, budget for a good year of work at least.

What’s bad when it comes to VML? Well, certainly that never are there been more VML based parts in Microsoft formats than in OOXML.

Example : in Excel, even comments and OLE objects are now in VML drawing containers. This was not the case before. And it’s inconsistent with other drawn objects by the way.

It’s a total mess, and it’s forced upon us vendors.

]]> By: Rob http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-411 Rob Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:15:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-411 Great quotes. I'll update the post and add these. Great quotes. I’ll update the post and add these.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-410 Anonymous Wed, 31 Jan 2007 17:27:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-410 Rob,<br />There are also interesting statements in <a href="http://www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf" rel="nofollow"><br />an email from Bill Gates</a>. In 1998 he states that allowing browsers to accurately render Office documents is one of the most destructive things we can do to the company. In <a href="http://www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf" rel="nofollow"> this email</a>, Bill describes how proprietary tags and patents can be used to build proprietary extensions to HTML, which is also a standard markup language. Neither of these statements gives me any cause to think that Microsoft wants open office documents that can be the basis for fair and open competition.<br /><br />Perhaps Microsoft has turned over a new leaf, but how can anyone be sure? Rob,
There are also interesting statements in
an email from Bill Gates. In 1998 he states that allowing browsers to accurately render Office documents is one of the most destructive things we can do to the company. In this email, Bill describes how proprietary tags and patents can be used to build proprietary extensions to HTML, which is also a standard markup language. Neither of these statements gives me any cause to think that Microsoft wants open office documents that can be the basis for fair and open competition.

Perhaps Microsoft has turned over a new leaf, but how can anyone be sure?

]]> By: Rob http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-398 Rob Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:09:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-398 You need to look at this in context. This document was not prepared for external consumption. This is not marketing fluff. This is an internal Microsoft report for an internal Microsoft audience. <br /><br />To your example, if you gathered your friends together, go to a secured building with security guards at the front desk, paid your friends wages, put them in a semi-dark room, projected a presentation on the wall that said, "I want my rich, childless relative dead so that I can get all the inheritance", then I think we have a word for what that. Isn't that called "conspiracy to commit murder". You need to look at this in context. This document was not prepared for external consumption. This is not marketing fluff. This is an internal Microsoft report for an internal Microsoft audience.

To your example, if you gathered your friends together, go to a secured building with security guards at the front desk, paid your friends wages, put them in a semi-dark room, projected a presentation on the wall that said, “I want my rich, childless relative dead so that I can get all the inheritance”, then I think we have a word for what that. Isn’t that called “conspiracy to commit murder”.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-396 Anonymous Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:40:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-396 Hmmm, that's only a "mission."<br /><br />It's like saying, "I want my rich, childless relative dead so that I can get all the inheritance." Saying one wants something, saying one is going to do it, and actually doing it are all different things. Hmmm, that’s only a “mission.”

It’s like saying, “I want my rich, childless relative dead so that I can get all the inheritance.” Saying one wants something, saying one is going to do it, and actually doing it are all different things.

]]> By: Rob http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-393 Rob Tue, 30 Jan 2007 01:33:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-393 I don't know of any internal evangelism docs at IBM. I'm not really an evangelist, but even so, I assume someone would have sent me the slides by now if they did exist.<br /><br />IBM's secret plan isn't much of a secret. My understanding of it, having worked here for 16 years, is this: IBM is a huge company. We do almost everything related to information technology. Since we are such a large company we cannot grow profits all that much faster than the growth rate of the IT sector, or the economy overall. So, an important goal is to help smooth out the bumps in the roads, make IT work better for everyone and grow the sector. This includes work on standards, open source, research, etc. To the extent we can reduce the friction in IT, then the rate of electronic transactions continues to increase, and we'll get our fair share of that growth. Add on that a percent or two for increased efficiencies and we can give Wall Street a fair return. That's my personal opinion of the Big Picture. I don’t know of any internal evangelism docs at IBM. I’m not really an evangelist, but even so, I assume someone would have sent me the slides by now if they did exist.

IBM’s secret plan isn’t much of a secret. My understanding of it, having worked here for 16 years, is this: IBM is a huge company. We do almost everything related to information technology. Since we are such a large company we cannot grow profits all that much faster than the growth rate of the IT sector, or the economy overall. So, an important goal is to help smooth out the bumps in the roads, make IT work better for everyone and grow the sector. This includes work on standards, open source, research, etc. To the extent we can reduce the friction in IT, then the rate of electronic transactions continues to increase, and we’ll get our fair share of that growth. Add on that a percent or two for increased efficiencies and we can give Wall Street a fair return. That’s my personal opinion of the Big Picture.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-392 Anonymous Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:49:00 +0000 http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-on-standards.html#comment-392 LOL! What an amazing document! I've never seen such an honest description of the "lock in" (their words!) agenda. They even have a series of slides reminding their evangelists who pays their wages... classic stuff! *wipes eyes*<br /><br />(So, uh, can we see some internal IBM evangelism docs now, please?) LOL! What an amazing document! I’ve never seen such an honest description of the “lock in” (their words!) agenda. They even have a series of slides reminding their evangelists who pays their wages… classic stuff! *wipes eyes*

(So, uh, can we see some internal IBM evangelism docs now, please?)

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