“Only a few blog entries ago it was my sad lot to report that Massachusetts CIO Peter Quinn had resigned, leaving the fate of his effort to mandate use of the OpenDocument format (ODF) hanging in the air. Tonight, I’m pleased to report, definitively (and exclusively), that the Massachusetts administration has confirmed that it will stand not only by open format standards in general (as earlier reported in the press), but behind ODF specifically as well.”
Still a battle ahead ! but with commitment and honesty open standards may still win out in MA.
It’s still a shame that some journalists (who were forced to resign) pushed their own propoganda and lies causing Mr. Quinn to resign. I see MS bullying Mass. about a decision to support ODF as an equivalent to terrorists threatening to blow something up. If you give in to them, you only encourage them.
Let this be a lesson to Microsoft that even though you have market domination, you aren’t the best choice out there and some people will make sure you know of that.
I completely agree with you; Go MA!
Most people who’re taking freedom for granted, since we’re living in a fairly free country, don’t get it;
I wish for those people to open their eyes and find that freedom is invaluable. Being forced to do things, such as software development, in certain way just because someone in high power said so; is not just Monopoly; it’s Fascism.
-B
Edited 2006-01-04 23:57
I’ve concluded we’re only on chapter 2 of a very long tale. This story is far from over, and the plot is likely to thicken at any moment.
I think that the mere inclusion of MSXML formats in the policy will kick ODF back to irrerelevance. Only enforcing it would make a difference by going strongly against market innertia. I don’t know if MASS alone would be enough to create ecosystem around it but some hopes could be hold.
MSXML is still not enforceably free, it’s still not approved in MAS though. I’ll wait and see.