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8 Comments
- joeyjojo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Remember when companies used to retain market share and customer satisfaction by actually improving their products?
Those were the days... - FunHeadlines, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Folks, I'll break it down in very simple terms:
1. You cannot trust anything Microsoft says.
2. There is no 2.
How many more years of sneaky behavior, self-serving lies, astroturf campaigns, illegal actions, and deception will it take before people realize Microsoft cannot be trusted? If you like their products, good for you. Just don't ever sign an agreement with them if you want to avoid being screwed. - drwilliams, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I agree with this article 100%. Just because Microsoft says that the format is open, doesn't mean it actually will be.
While the encapsulating XML schema might be open, this doesn't prevent Microsoft from storing the actual document data within the XML in some proprietary binary format which will not be open. In addition, I could see them incorporating some DRM scheme on that data (for our own benefit of course!), making it illegal to reverse engineer the format without violating the [insert your country's evil legislation - like the DMCA].
Remember - it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you (and in this case, out to get your computer)! - pHr34kY, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think the guy that read this article doesn't know how much trouble the OpenOffice developers had trying to support the MS Office formats. By memory their website was filled with articles whinging about how the MS Office would never be perfect because it's completely undocumented and they had to resort to reverse engineering.
- pkscout, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Something not mentioned is that Microsoft's "open" format is patent and copyright laden and is incompatible with basically every opensource license. So OpenOffice won't be able to use them. That's OK. The rich, vibrant, competition for Office in the commercial sector will help balance... Wait a minute. There is no competition to Office. Nevermind...
- oldcyborg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I agree that Microsoft is NOT to be trusted, and worse if they smile while telling you what they are gonna do....
I was reminiscing the other night and went back to Word and Wordperfect as I worked up until now. (t was that article on Microsoft windows 1.0)
I can remember that Microsoft routinely lied about when software was coming out. I still don't know how they got away with it. Whole companies went crazy trying to figure out if they should bet on Microsoft, or what was already there. Many did NOT, and came to rue the day when they were forced to decide, after seeing product delays of up to 2 Years(and that was the op system)!!!!!!
This was when Gates Boyish charm, and Ballmers screaming was at their height of glory.. Gates does not look like a boy anymore, and Ballmer had to have throat surgery, at least once that I know of...
So, keep your hands in your pocket and hold onto your stones. It's more deception and lies coming from Seattle...
Cyborg - TheSentinel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Am I missing something here? Microsoft is going to publish the Office 12 file format, so other word processing products can read and write the file type. It sounds to me like they're trying to head off problems (like in Mass) before they start. Yes, they're doing this to avoid losing revenue. No, they aren't going to take suggestions on the format. What's so bad about this?
Don't get me wrong - I think Office is the most bloated and overpriced software made by Microsoft. I just don't see what the problem is here. - Phwanky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0C'est de la poudre aux yeux!
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