Re: OOXML [was Re: GNOME Foundation Board Meeting Minutes :: 7/6/07]

[Rui Miguel Silva Seabra <rms 1407 org>]

On Tue, Oct 30, 2007 at 07:00:58AM -0400, Jody Goldberg wrote:
> 2) OOX is a file format that is in use, and we will have to interact
>    with it.  The opportunity to improve the spec and have MS answer
>    questions and clarify necessary details should not be wasted.

Microsoft has done it's very best to ensure it doesn't *have*to* improve
the spec, to avoid any questions, and not clarify anything.

>    It's not as good as having the source code to OO.o there to read
>    yourself (which is why free software will eventually dominate)
>    but it is a step forward.

A step forward, yes, but into what direction? The direction of nobody
else can compete because nobody else com properly implement?

> I think OOX should be blessed as a standard,

Why? Because it has unfulfillable promises according to many
legislations[1] regarding patents? Because it has completely undocumented
tags? Because it demands numerical and date calculus proven fallible to
be present? Because it has completely undocumented magical strings
(references to undocumented binary stuff)? It takes more than blanket
statements to make a sound justification!

[1] think EU where patent infringement is now a public crime (and Portugal
is right now being sued for not having implemented that directive yet) so
don't anyone dare to say this doesn't happen...

>     'the MS Office XML File Format'
> and that we should do everything we can to improve the specification
> of that and any other format we interact with.

I've really really tried, but Microsoft defends that you could use a
ruller to measure the spaces onscreen to know what autoSpaceLikeWord95
is. This is deaf-mute-blind talking to each other.

> If that level of
> disagreement is unacceptable in the community then I can leave ECMA
> and request that they discontinue the GNOME Foundation's membership.
> In my opinion that would be a step backwards.

It would seem you aren't making that strong an effort to represent the
possibility of Free Software developers fully implementing the standard,
maybe you should in fact make it better, rather than threaten to leave.

Best regards,
Rui

-- 
Hail Eris!
Today is Pungenday, the 11st day of The Aftermath in the YOLD 3173
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+ Whatever you do will be insignificant,
| but it is very important that you do it -- Gandhi
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