Tuesday 20th February, 2007
Following on from the earlier word processor review post, this article hints at the importance which Microsoft attaches to ODF's ISO standard rating. There are usual laughable quotes from Microsoft execs:
We see a level of hypocrisy in IBM's activities...They have long called on us to standardize formats, make the IP (intellectual property) freely available to the broader community, and we've done it.
(Emphasis added.)
Well, sorry, but in a word ... BULLSH*T.
It's the comments beneath the article which as usual, raise some interesting points:
After transparently attempting to derail HTML standards, javascript standards, java standards and XML standards, Microsoft has absolutely no credibility when it comes to standards and interoperability. Microsoft has pursued a strategy of closed proprietary formats and diversionary tactics with standards organizations for many years
why on Earth did these folks from the Redmond Campus not attend the Open Document Format Standards (ODF) parties which were sponsored by the OASIS GROUP when they were invited to
Most people working in IT know that Microsoft does everything within its powers to make it hard for others to making compatible products, when trying connect to MS-products. There are too many examples.
The same is happening at the so-called Microsoft open xml data format. Everyone concerned about the matter (including Microsoft) know their format is NOT REALLY OPEN. Let me qualify: The actual xml structure they use is open, so much is true, but not the binary information Microsoft places inside the XML, and with that the whole data format is NOT OPEN, useless to the public.
A data format that is NOT REALLY OPEN should not be a standard.
The masses of people out there/the world needs ONE standard that is TRULY OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, not just the software of one proprietary vendor.
Etc, etc. There is lots more. My, my, so much distrust.
Sunday 19th November, 2006
Just a few of the more interesting links related to these sordid claims. It's something that Ballmer has claimed before, but that was back in the heyday of the SCO debacle which is now nearly over. It's typical FUD, possibly the actions of a desperate man? Who knows how these people think, except others like them.
Monday 13th November, 2006
The Samba team has issued a statement asking Novell to reconsider its recent deal with Microsoft.
If historical precedence is anything to go by, Microsoft tends to strike deals which either buys them some time to regroup, or hinder their "partners". Novell has been here before. They should know better.
Friday 10th November, 2006
According to this ZDNet Blog entry, an IBM-sponsored study claims that 83% of companies expect to support new workloads on Linux next year, against 23% for Windows.
It cites the recent moves by Oracle and Microsoft with regard to Linux as evidence of this trend.
I would never rule Microsoft out any race it wishes to take part in, until the race is truly over. One particular comment to this blog entry raises the interesting assertion:
Microsoft has obtained the expertise and assistance of SuSE in creating the migration tools that will ease the Linux to Windows transition. The path was already marked out.
Linux to Windows will soon be far easier than Unix to Windows has ever been. And companies can't wait for their chance to leap into the future.
I must admit, I find it hard to trust Novell's recent actions. I'm not the only one.
Tuesday 7th November, 2006
When I tell my World of Warcraft/EverQuest-playing friends that I play Slash'EM,
they usually raise their eyebrows and give me a slightly condescending smile
before going on to explain how they prefer 3D graphics, interaction, etc.
The fact is that comparing WoW/EQ to Slash'EM is like comparing
movies to books. Did you read the Harry Potter books? Did you then
go and see the movies? Slightly disappointed? Not quite what you expected?
Then you'll have an inkling of what I'm on about.
As with reading, some imagination is required. Compared to it's
more modern peers, Slash'EM and its relatives are extremely challenging.
If you get it wrong, your character dies. Sometimes your character
will die in seemingly grossly unfair circumstances. And it's
permanent, unlike in certain other games. C'est la vie.
This game hasn't been designed to pander to the requirements of the
"I want it all and I want it now" crew.
It's a bit sad that such a fine open source game is easier to install
on Windows than it is to install onto many Linux systems. So, hopefully
this article will address that issue.