An Italian member of the “International Network of Public Administrations for Free Software” has just communicated to <NO>OOXML that:
Translation to English:
"Italy also will vote "abstention", thanks to the excellent work of [www.softwarelibero.it ASSOLI] and FSFe. Both joined to the Italian standardization body to vote NO together. This NO has been instrumental for the final position [of Italy]."
Original in Spanish:
"Tambié Italia votara con una abstencion, gracias al excelente trabajo de Assoli (www.softwarelibero.it) Y FSFE las quales se asociaron al ente italiano de standares para votar con un NO que se ha revelado fundamental en la decision final."
Italy has been one of the most disputed votes after the practical hijacking of its national subcommittee in charge of to decide about ISO DIS 29500 (OOXML), by members of the Microsoft partnership local network. The number of members of the committee in charge of to decide the vote of Italy suddenly grew from 5 to 83 after Microsoft introduced a lot of its local partners paying 2.000 EUR per each one to be in it and get voting rights. In total more than 110EUR wasted just in inscriptions of new members… to at the end not to get the final YES that as much they invested in.
Textually from the website Piana.eu: "Up and until mid-may the members of the relevant Uninfo committee (JTC1) were five: IBM, Microsoft, CEDEO (Leonardo Chiariglione), the PLIO organization (Openoffice.org in Italy) and HP. Then new members started flocking. At the last count, voters were 83.".
What is unfortunate is that without that invasion, the professional vote of Italy would have been a clear NO to ISO DIS 29500.
How more irregularities is needed to see to get a clean up of the ISO structures that as easy is to invade by any big company with a deep pocket?
Anyway, let's congratulate. One less opportunity for this OOXML crappy specification to get passed at ISO.
And, "so sorry, Microsoft, you need to learn indeed to cheat!".
