Why Microsoft wants Indian NGOs to support OOXML?
Microsoft is urging Indian NGOs to support OOXML (i.e. Office Open XML) format – and persuade Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting MS’s OOXML proposal.
What’s OOXML? What is the fuss about?
Office Open XML (OOXML) is XML based file format specification for electronic documents like word, spreadsheet, presentation etc.
Unlike it’s open counterpart OpenDocument Format (ODF) which has gained industry acceptance, OOXML is tightly coupled with MS office proprietary standards and is not yet approved as a full International Standard.
What’s the big deal?
It’s all about Microsoft building a strong lock-in to their Office proprietary standards and of course, an attempt to be the world’s widely used document formats.
Most importantly, the OOXML standard is loaded with MS patents and the tight integration with MS Office makes the entire standard unfit for others.
“India has not woken up politically,” ..”to the impact of [selecting the right standard]. So while we are discussing OOXML at a technical level, the issue is far deeper than that. Many people now say that holding of patents on standards is a non-tariff barrier to trade.”
MS has tried the same tactics in Sweden, i.e. urged partners to support OOXML proposal (and in lieu, MS offered them “free marketing support and additional MS resources” , i.e. bribe); but failed.
Lets see what happens in India.
What’s your opinion?
Related links: MS’s Letter to NGOs, More Details, NoOOXML
About the author - Ashish Sinha is a Startup Mentor/Product Strategy Coach, and the founder/chief editor of pluGGd.in.
He has launched/managed couple of products (consumer as well as enterprise) in US and India, and now consults with startups/small businesses on their product/media strategy. He can be reached at: ashish (at) pluGGd.in [+91 98452 06443]
Bribe Works in INDIA
That’s a smart move on the part of Microsoft to implement OOXML format
through targeting NGOs as they are always known for their smart tactics.
Folks interested to know more about the OOXML politics should read this.
http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/132
same old ms game…. n i think india is a soft target
Forget NGOs. The biggest we-will-sell-out-for-a-pittance are the so called darlings of the Indian IT industry – Infosys and Co. These guys have a vote at the table and will shamelessly push Microsoft’s agenda because it is in their business interests to do so. Doing-the-right-thing be damned.
here’s a quote from a letter authored by Ashish Gautam, Open Standards Specialist – India, IBM India sent on March 15, 2007 to govt officials and others:
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“Please start influencing our national body – BIS, the press, STQC and state IT bodies. Also start asking BIS and MCIT to post all the documentation on their website and make it available to the public…This way you can point people to the documentation and they can become familiar with all of the information as we commence the balloting process…”
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Now this is a letter you would call “cajoling” partners. Notice the use of words – influence… and that too for govt. bodies like BIS & state IT bodies? for independent entity as press? this seems downright illegal to me..
finally notice “as we commence the balloting process” .. well i wonder who is commencing the balloting process – IBM or India?
You can read the full article here:
http://www.askvg.com/should-india-be-held-hostage-to-unilateral-views-on-open-xml/
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