We're Open enough, Says Microsoft

We're Open enough, Says Microsoft 660

Posted by timothy on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @03:52AM from the one-way-doors-don't-count dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft Australia has come under fire from rival vendors and open-source advocates for keeping its Office document standards proprietary. Greg Stone, Microsoft's national technology officer for Australia and New Zealand, faced criticism during his presentation at the Australian Unix User Group conference in Canberra yesterday. However, he stood firm on the company's policy of making the XML schemas for its Office 2003 document standard publicly available provided interested parties sign an agreement with the software heavyweight. "Why should I have to sign an agreement?" one audience member demanded to know."

We're Open enough, Says Microsoft

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How right they are (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @03:55AM (#12279267)

Just look at IE.
Can one piece of software possibly be more open to exploits and viruses?

So... (Score:4, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @03:59AM (#12279280)

"Why should I have to sign an agreement?"

So Microsoft can own your soul, your offsprings' souls, their retroactive grandparents' souls, and the souls of everyone they come in contact with.

In the form of a nice law suit.

big blunder man... (Score:2, Funny)

by William Robinson ( 875390 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:04AM (#12279300)

No use being Anonymous Coward. You used IE, and they know it now.

Open enough meaning (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:05AM (#12279303)

You'll still be completely and totally unable to use Word files in non-Microsoft applications, except in a buggy and incomplete reverse engineered form.

But that's open enough to suit Microsoft perfectly fine.

Open source is Evil! (Score:2, Funny)

by aitio ( 794921 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:12AM (#12279331) Homepage

Ask Linus. [theregister.com] Proprietary is the way to go.
And you all knew this was coming.

What a day... (Score:4, Funny)

by goMac2500 ( 741295 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:12AM (#12279333)

Earlier I posted on how today Microsoft had declared beta software as ready for production, and how root is apparently completely safe. Microsoft calling themselves open source enough just takes the cake though.

and... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:13AM (#12279335)

our customers are also opened enough....we only have to give them a litle more vaseline to maximize the opening

Re:eeehmm (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:14AM (#12279340)

you'll need to sing an agreetment with Microsoft

Swaaaaannieeee - ohhhhhh how I love ya, how I love ya, Swaaaannnniiiiiieeeeeeeee!

Oh you meant "sign" an agreement... my bad. please spellcheck in the future,

plskthx

AC

"We are open enough" (Score:2, Funny)

by should_be_linear ( 779431 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:15AM (#12279348)

I thought man was talking on malware authoring conference.

Re:Why shoud I have to sign... (Score:5, Funny)

by Zero Sum ( 209324 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:30AM (#12279405)

Well, using GPL fonts in a document means the document has to be open, does it not?

Re:So... (Score:5, Funny)

by 0x461FAB0BD7D2 ( 812236 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:32AM (#12279414) Journal

And they say the GPL is viral!

Re:A better response to this (Score:5, Funny)

by nmb3000 ( 741169 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:50AM (#12279483) Journal

While we're at it, let's solve world peace! All we need to do is get all the world leaders to sit down and back an idea on how things could be made better...

Ok. I'll make a few phone calls and see what I can do.

Makes sense... (Score:5, Funny)

by zecg ( 521666 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @04:53AM (#12279496)

Root is safe, beta is gold, MS is open enough and MN2004 is coming back on a corrected trajectory. All makes sense.

yah ... right .... (Score:3, Funny)

by f3773t ( 820782 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @05:11AM (#12279557)

and I also believe all politicians are honest and truthful

From the makers of (Score:5, Funny)

by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) writes: <fidelcatsro&gmail,com> on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @05:23AM (#12279601) Journal

Free as in costs money
Advantage as in same thing later

We are proud to present
Open as in closed

Open? (Score:2, Funny)

by Masq666 ( 861213 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @05:27AM (#12279611) Homepage

I thought all MS software where open..!?! Guess i'll have to go close windows to prevent bugs flying inn...

More than enough! (Score:3, Funny)

by ceeam ( 39911 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @06:15AM (#12279740)

I'd say they are _gaping_ open!

Re:Why shoud I have to sign... (Score:2, Funny)

by BVis ( 267028 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @06:31AM (#12279789)

And because you read it on /., it MUST be true >:)

Uh (Score:3, Funny)

by northcat ( 827059 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @06:48AM (#12279861) Journal

Running as root is safe, beta is good for production use and MS is open enough. Next thing you know, they'll be saying that Adobe bought Macromedia, one of its enemies.

Re:Why shoud I have to sign... (Score:2, Funny)

by Hynee ( 774168 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @08:08AM (#12280165) Homepage

Indeed. Can I read your email because it's in Thunderbird?

Re:Worked before (Score:3, Funny)

by LaCosaNostradamus ( 630659 ) writes: <`moc.liam' `ta' `sumadartsoNasoCaL'> on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @08:13AM (#12280194) Journal

I can see it now, instead of Windows NE (NExt) or something marketdroidy, they will produce Windows Free {tm}. "Microsoft will set you Free!" {tm} Of course, a legal copy of Windows Free {tm} will cost $395.

Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)

by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @08:52AM (#12280384)

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Madness (Score:4, Funny)

by argStyopa ( 232550 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @09:30AM (#12280706) Journal

What we really need is an OASIS plug-in for MS Office so that MS Office users can use the OASIS format without any hassles. That would be cool.

That sound you just heard was 10,000 Microsoft lawyers, all getting a boner.

Re:Why do you spread it ? (Score:3, Funny)

by shotfeel ( 235240 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @10:35AM (#12281412)

Sad, but still one step up from their usual "unnamed" sources IMO. Now at least they're quoting that Anonymous Coward guy on /. He must be an expert given how often he posts.

Re:Good riddance smoking (Score:3, Funny)

by TheStupidOne ( 872664 ) writes: on Tuesday April 19, 2005 @10:35AM (#12281415)

Bullshit. A pub is private property that allows the public to enter.
Microsoft = pub

If a pub owner would like to allow smoking, the customers have the choice to enter or not.
Smoking = access to document standards.

If a pub owner would like to allow smoking, the customers have the choice to enter or not.
I get it now... so all this fight for open standards is actually a cleverly disguised campaign to remove smoking bans! It all makes sense now!!!

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We're Open enough, Says Microsoft 660

We're Open enough, Says Microsoft More Login

We're Open enough, Says Microsoft

How right they are (Score:5, Funny)

So... (Score:4, Funny)

big blunder man... (Score:2, Funny)

Open enough meaning (Score:3, Funny)

Open source is Evil! (Score:2, Funny)

What a day... (Score:4, Funny)

and... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:eeehmm (Score:2, Funny)

"We are open enough" (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Why shoud I have to sign... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:So... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:A better response to this (Score:5, Funny)

Makes sense... (Score:5, Funny)

yah ... right .... (Score:3, Funny)

From the makers of (Score:5, Funny)

Open? (Score:2, Funny)

More than enough! (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Why shoud I have to sign... (Score:2, Funny)

Uh (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Why shoud I have to sign... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Worked before (Score:3, Funny)

Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Madness (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Why do you spread it ? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Good riddance smoking (Score:3, Funny)

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