Portuguese committee says no room for IBM and Sun

Summary:

OpenXML.info is reporting that IBM and Sun were excluded from participation in the discussions in Portugal on OOXML, because there were no seats available in the room. Microsoft had nevertheless many people representing them in the room, not counting their puppets.

Portuguese committee says no room for IBM and Sun

zoobab 16 Jul 2007 21:10

Portugal's ISO says no room for IBM & Sun in the room ! ? OpenXML.info is reporting (in Portuguese, but a Groklaw member translates for us) that the person who is head of the ISO technical committee about to vote on Microsoft's Ecma-376 wouldn't let IBM and Sun representatives in, claiming there was no room! This is ridiculous. And here is a source reporting the same thing, also in Portuguese. So in the US, we hear reports of packing the TC. Now, it's weeding out those who are not likely to vote a certain way desired? Is this how standards get "approved"? I don't recall ODF having to play such games. Here is the rough translation:]

Portugal, and more concretely, its national organization of certification IPQ is a member "O" (observator) of ISO/IEC for the voting of OOXML (ISO DIS 29500).

WARNING: the first meeting of the Technical Commission "Language for document definition" was on Monday 16 of July. The vote was delayed. Representatives of IBM and Sun were not allowed to attend because there "was no available space in the room".

> -Original Message-
> From: G [Sun Microsystems]
>
> To: D [Presidente da Comissão Técnica]
>
> Subject: Comissão técnica - Linguagem de Descrição de Documentos
>
> Caro Dr D [Presidente da Comissão Técnica]
>
> A Sun Microsystems em Portugal vem manifestar o seu interesse
> junto do …, na sua qualidade de Organismo
> de Normalização Sectorial para o domínio das Tecnologias
> de Informação, em estar representada na Comissão Técnica
> "Linguagem de Descrição de Documentos"
>
> Cumprimentos,
> D [President of the Technical Commission] -

Quick translation in English:

> -Original Message-
> From: G [Sun Microsystems]
>
> To: D [President of the Technical Committee]
>
> Subject: Technical Commission - Language for document definition
>
> G [Sun Microsystems]
>
> Dear G [Sun Microsystems] due of restricted number of members of the CT (Commissao Tecnica) that can attend the scheduled meeting room to host the meeting, we cannot, in this stage, accept your proposal of integration of the CT.
>
> With my best regards,
> D [President of the Technical Commission] -

Last edited on 17 Jul 2007 12:07 by zoobab Show more

Re: Microsoft chairman says no room for IBM and Sun

zoobab 16 Jul 2007 21:31

It also seems that Microsoft is trying to avoid any technical discussions:

The presidency of the comitee that has the task of analyzing the DIS 29500 is in the hands of Micrososft
and is seeking a rapid vote (in two hours time) and without a technical analysis of the technical comments for the specification.

Please, contact IPQ to express your disagreement with the ISO standarization Body for OOXML.
e-mail: tp.qpi.liam|qpi#tp.qpi.liam|qpi
Telefone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Re: Microsoft chairman says no room for IBM and Sun

Anonymous (213.22.126.x) 16 Jul 2007 21:55

This isn't true, ONS said it, and not the TC president, who is Microsoft.

Re: Microsoft chairman says no room for IBM and Sun

Anonymous (82.146.104.x) 17 Jul 2007 00:01

it doesn't really matters who said who, it was pushed and it matters! Sun and IBM are leading companies in ICT, however small local GOLD partners of Microsoft were allowed, it's outrageous and hillarious at the same time.

Re: Microsoft chairman says no room for IBM and Sun

zoobab 17 Jul 2007 11:52

I have corrected the story now.