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Microsoft shows its true anti-open standard colours
Microsoft has shown its true intensions in the ODF vs. Open XML standard war: the company doesn’t care about its users but is solely driven by its desire to lock in customers.
Microsoft today announced that it would "sponsor" the Open XML Translator open source project that is developing a plug in that lets users to import and export ODF documents with Office.
The move is prompted by "user demands" to use ODF, the company claims. But it's quick to point out that Microsoft's Open XML format is far better than the Open Document Format (ODF).
Microsoft until today maintained that ODF was technically inferior, and among things didn't properly support accessibility features. It had nothing to do with the fact that whoever controls the document standard is able to lock in users; that controlling the format ensures that only your $400 application can properly open and save the documents now and in the future.
Microsoft's move is designed to make sure that its solution will become the dominant one, while undermining similar, yet competing, technologies by delivering crippled functionalities from the get go.
The Open XML Translator project will only allow users to import and export documents. But they wont' be able to set ODF as the default format.
That's all too convenient for Microsoft. Users who are adamant about using ODF will now be able to do so. But the majority of users will go for the default settings – being Microsoft's Open XML and have no way of moving away.
Microsoft furthermore is merely sponsoring the project. All the coding will be done by partner companies. It isn't even clear what Microsoft's sponsorship means, as the company fails to explain that little factoid in its press release.
In Microsoft's defence, the company wouldn't have any credibility if it had taken the development lead. But it could have taken a more active role than being merely a "sponsor" (or at least it could have explained what that means).
The "sponsored by Microsoft" banner furthermore has made the Open XML Translator the de facto ODF plug in for Office 2007. Competing projects offering better functionalities will have a hard time promoting themselves.
The Open XML Translator project is a step in the right direction. But the question remains why Microsoft claims to be looking out of its users, but chooses to sponsor a tool that's lacking an important feature.
Microsoft's ODF reversal comes too late for Peter Quinn, who was forced out as Massachusetts' CIO after he spoke out in favor of ODF.
Tags: Microsoft, ODF, open xml, open xml translator
July 6, 2006 at 10:58 PM | Permalink
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Microsoft ha mostrado sus verdaderas intenciones en la guerra de estándares ODF vs Open XML. La compañía no se preocupa por sus usuarios, sino que sólo le lleva el deseo de bloquear a los clientes. Microsoft anunció ayer que “esponsorizaría”... [Read More]
Tracked on 7 Jul 2006 08:28:54
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