This article on eWeek reports on a four-page open letter Microsoft has written
to IBM, seeking to raise awareness around what they feel are IBM's attempts to
force Open Document Format on users. Here's a clip from the article:
Microsoft is also speaking out against what it sees as Big Blue's coordinated
and resource-intensive campaign to limit choice in the marketplace for
interoperability and standards, regardless of the impact of those moves on
customers and the broader ecosystem.
And here's the link to Microsoft's letter to IBM:
http://www.microsoft.com/interop/letters/choice.mspx
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Why should we blame IBM?
The culprit here is Microsoft.
Yes, Microsoft!
Listen, you do not go to a gunfight with a Taser®.
Where has Microsoft been all this time?
Even now, the letter and the problem, does not seem to be addressed at the
highest levels. I know those guys are, by all indications, very important to
the Office dev/mktg team and Microsoft, but to everyone else outside their locus
of authority, just who are they?
For this, you need Bill Gates. You need Steve Ballmer. Heck, I’ll even take
Margo Day (Have you listened to that woman speak? After a speech from her, you
just want to get out there and move a whole lotta Microsoft stuff!)
You need someone to take a Martin Taylor-like position and slam those donkeys at
IBM.
I think Microsoft’s counter attack has to come from the very highest levels;
with the executive at Microsoft taking the fight to the leaders of those
countries that are trying to lead their cattle people down that path.
It was this sort of belated lukewarm response that allowed the open source yobs
the opportunity to gain a foothold in the EU and LDCs (less-developed countries)
because those same yobs could point to the lack of a fierce response from
Microsoft as either arrogance, or worse, indifference.
Every time I come across those same arguments, I kick them down by asking, when
was the last time the head of technology assessment for the country looked at
source code or expressed a wish to do so. However, the inclusion of such source
code as been sold to those fools as a way of equalizing technology. Go figure!
Moreover, the counterattack has to be swift, sufficiently sarcastic, loud,
coherent, consistent, and long-lasting.
It is one thing to stand and attack with Apple, since the charisma delta between
St Steven Paul 1 and Bill G. is pretty wide to the general public, not to us in
the industry.
It is another thing entirely to lose a PR battle to Palmisano.
Are you kiddin’me?
That guy is so bland, even CPAs don’t want to hang with him.
So, Microsoft, MSFT has been doing well, please keep it that way and get the
VITOs out. And in full force!
My blog post about IBM’s deceptively named ‘Open Client’ is here.
I think I will blog this as well! EDIT: blogged and edited for more colorful
language here.
Notes:
LDC: Less-developed country, the PC name for 3rd World country.
VITO: Very Important Top Officer
Martin Taylor: Where is this dude?
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