Sunday, June 01, 2008
Brazil, India Challenge Microsoft Office
Brazil and India have appealed a decision to make Microsoft's Office Open XML format an internationally recognized standard for electronic documents. Microsoft wants the file format used in its Office 2007 program to be approved as an open standard so that it can apply for lucrative government contracts that require this designation.
South Africa complained last week that the balloting procedure conducted by the Geneva-based IEC and global standards body ISO was poorly conducted and rushed. It was almost certainly corrupt as well, and could well become a target for organisations like Transparency International.
Even Europe generally does not want Microsoft at all, and much of the Boeing Aircraft accessible consumer software seems largely Linux.
IMO: I used MS Office off and on for years and found it slow and inflexible.Also, MS 'free' offers to teaching establishments tie it unduly to the training. Right now the 'free' Open Office seems better in all respects and there are plenty of small cheaper freeware alternatives to smaller applications like word processing etc.
IMO: Do not allow your country to become a slave to Microsoft. Unfortunately I mean it literally, in the terms of the third world. "Throw away" your chains in the form of MS Office or keep it in an old file for emergencies which will probably never happen.
Brazil and India have appealed a decision to make Microsoft's Office Open XML format an internationally recognized standard for electronic documents. Microsoft wants the file format used in its Office 2007 program to be approved as an open standard so that it can apply for lucrative government contracts that require this designation.
South Africa complained last week that the balloting procedure conducted by the Geneva-based IEC and global standards body ISO was poorly conducted and rushed. It was almost certainly corrupt as well, and could well become a target for organisations like Transparency International.
Even Europe generally does not want Microsoft at all, and much of the Boeing Aircraft accessible consumer software seems largely Linux.
IMO: I used MS Office off and on for years and found it slow and inflexible.Also, MS 'free' offers to teaching establishments tie it unduly to the training. Right now the 'free' Open Office seems better in all respects and there are plenty of small cheaper freeware alternatives to smaller applications like word processing etc.
IMO: Do not allow your country to become a slave to Microsoft. Unfortunately I mean it literally, in the terms of the third world. "Throw away" your chains in the form of MS Office or keep it in an old file for emergencies which will probably never happen.
# posted by uv : 4:02 AM
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