Microsoft trying to quash OpenDocument

[Paul DiRezze]

pking123-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg at public.gmane.org wrote:

>I am quite sure that MS cares about the format and would not find it 
>hard to write drivers for it. However, even if they did, that is not 
>the issue in my view. The issue for MS is that an open document 
>standard invites the possibility of competition from other vendors 
>where none was possible before. An open standard is also something 
>they can no longer "embrace and extend" as they had for all the other 
>standards. This will hurt their bottom line, and lighten the iron 
>grip they now have on the market. This is why MS wants to kill it. 
>And, as your interesting article reference shows, even to the point 
>of misrepresenting it ("close down" the OpenDocument standard for 
>example).
>
>  
>

I think this is the real point.  Microsoft is trying to maximize the 
"migration-hassle-quotient".  Microsoft knows that given a choice 
between a change that's good for them and what they are used to, users 
will choose what they know about 19 times out of 20.  Historically 
speaking, this also worked against them when they were trying to unseat 
Lotus 123 and Wordperfect.  In each case, Microsoft had a better product 
for about 2 - 4 years before market share numbers reflected it.  
Arguably, it took the resources of it's operating systems monopoly 
(proprietary hooks and other dirty tricks) to unseat the market leaders 
at the time.

That's why I believe Linux and open source will win.  But I also believe 
most users will have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, towards more 
open and eventually better technologies.

paul
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