Office Formats, Accessibility and Politics: Caveat Legislator
Massachusetts legislators on Beacon Hill today will see a demonstration of accessibility features for Office 7, but they won't see the complete picture.
Badda Boom – Badda Bing! OASIS Announces the ODF Adoption Committee
Hard on the heels of the announcement of the government-targeting ODF Alliance comes the announcement of a new initiative: the ODF Adoption Committee at OASIS, which will work to promote ODF adoption in the broader end user community.
ODF Alliance – Who, What, Where (and Why)
Here are the details on the new ODF Alliance - who's a member, what it means, and whether its likely to succeed or fail.
ODF Alliance Formed to Push ODF Adoption by Government
36 Companies, associations and end-users have announcend the ODF Alliance in an effort to boost Government adoption of the OpenDocument Format
The Emergence of the Digital Home
Single standards can do small jobs, but it takes a village of standards (and standard setting organizations) to enable a Digital Home.
Details Begin to Emerge on ECIS v. Microsoft EU Complaint
Late last week the European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS) filed a complaint in the EU against Microsoft, alleging anticompetitive behavior. That complaint was kept confidential, but additional details are now being (gradually) released.
It’s Now a Two Front War: The ODF Allies Launch an Offensive in Europe
Until now, the action on ODF vs. the Microsoft XML Reference Schema has focused on Massachusetts. In the last two days, however, the supporters of ODF have launched an offensive in Europe - making it now a two-front war.
ODF or Microsoft XML Reference Schema? Don’t Forget About Adobe PDF
Adobe PDF has tended to be a footnote in the ODF story to date, principally figuring into the saga by presenting a somewhat troubling question: did the Massachusetts Information Technology Division (ITD) draw too fine a distinction in saying "no" to the Microsoft XML Reference Schema (especially after Microsoft agreed to make modifications to its license terms) while saying "yes" to Adobe PDF? But an interview with Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen indicates that Adobe's control of PDF - and now Flash - may give it a far bigger role from the desktop to mobile devices in the future than ODF may give any other vendor.
Micron Sues Rambus (after all, it was their turn)
George Harrison wrote of the "Sue me - Sue You Blues." Rambus, Micron, Infineon and Samsung have been singing that one for years, and today Micron Technologies began a new verse, with its latest suit against Rambus. It all relates to a JEDEC standard setting initiative from the early 1990s, but it has reshaped standard setting.
Open Source Business Conference West, Open Standards and Open Source
On Wednesday I moderated a panel at the Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco. Gavin Clark at The Register.com titled his story about the session "Microsoft ignites idea of independent versions of Office" and subtitled it "Rivals Flame Redmond." That's a bit overwrought, but it was an interesting session none the less.