[FSUG-Bangalore] Fwd: Action Against ISO Sellout and MicrosoftRigging in India

[Senthil Sundaram (sensunda)]

Hi,

Viki, anivar and all the others who organised the event whom I do not
knwo...

Very good work! It was nice to part of the spirit of freedom. 

-s
 

-----Original Message-----
From: fsug-bangalore-bounces at mm.gnu.org.in
[mailto:fsug-bangalore-bounces at mm.gnu.org.in] On Behalf Of Anivar
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:52 PM
To: Free Software Users Group - Bangalore
Subject: [FSUG-Bangalore] Fwd: Action Against ISO Sellout and
MicrosoftRigging in India

Congrats for making todays event a big success.
Please upload all photos to Flickr and wiki with relevent tags and send
your links here.


I am forwarding An interesting news clip collection Anivar

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgro... at schestowitz.com>
Date: Apr 14, 8:32 am
Subject: Action Against ISO Sellout and Microsoft Rigging in India
To: comp.os.linux.advocacy


Candle Light Vigil for Document Freedom

,----[ Quote ]
| The Candle light vigil demands India to appeal ISO approval of ooxml
based on
| its comments and no vote. We also demands the Department of IT to
draft a
| clear national policy for the use of Free standards for data
storage.
|
| This programme is planned as a starting point for various events &
awareness
| campaigns on Document freedom.
`----

http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Campaign_for_Document_Freedom#Candle_Light_...

Related:

An Open Letter to Wipro, Infosys and TCS

,----[ Quote ]
| This letter is to express our deep disappointment over your open
support to
| the OOXML format forced through ISO by Microsoft. Being the top IT
giants and
| thus the representatives of the IT industry in the country, it is a
great
| shock to us that you do not stand with academia of the country and
its
| representatives like the IITs, IIMs and IISc in supporting the Open
Document
| Format (ODF) which is a true Free and Open Standard already
recognised as an
| ISO Standard. Considering that a major portion of your employees
come from
| such institutions, it is a wonder to us that you have decided to go
ahead
| with this decisions.
`----

http://www.fossmeet.in/node/128

Microsoft wins Open XML vote, frowns at Indian panel

,----[ Quote ]
| Industry experts said they were "unhappy" with the Microsoft which
has almost
| accused the committee of being packed with "open document format
(ODF)
| supporters".
|
| "I am very upset and uncomfortable with such complaints. In fact,
the
| chairperson of the committee (LITD 15) offered to step down over the 
| allegation," D.B. Phatak, professor at IIT Mumbai, told DNA Money.
|
| IIT Mumbai is a member of LITD 15, and Phatak was part of the
deliberations
| that have been taking place within IIT on the issue.
|
| Phatak said a Microsoft official was asked if it would withdraw the 
| complaint, but the company refused as the "complaint was made by
some higher
| officer in Microsoft".
|
| Jaijit Bhattacharya, country director of government strategy for Sun 
| Microsystems India, a company that has been at loggerheads with
Microsoft for
| years, talks in a similar vein.
|
| "I am surprised that such allegations are made against India's top
academic
| and government institutions ... such allegations lack credibility,'
| Bhattacharya said. Venkatesh Hariharan, co-founder Open Source
Foundation of
| India said, "I am just amazed and shocked at the depths to which
Microsoft is
| willing to descend."
|
| He said Microsoft's complaint is a "great disservice to the
committee, its
| chairperson and the BIS".
`----

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14636329

OOXML: decision time is nigh

,----[ Quote ]
| Wipro, Infosys and TCS are the three big companies that accept
business
| process outsourcing from the American and other markets, hence their
vote for
| Microsoft is not a surprise at all. These are companies that
maintain the
| status quo, conservative to the core and willing to do the bidding
of the
| piper. Nasscom represents the interests of the bigger IT companies
and it
| probably had no choice but to fall in line.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/17353/1148/

Microsoft files complaint on OOXML vote to apex office and Ministry of
Consumer Affairs

,----[ Quote ]
| At the meeting held on 20th March 2008, we were informed that
Microsoft has
| complained to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and to the apex
office of the
| country about the constitution of the committee and also cast
aspersions on
| the impartiality of the chairperson of LITD15, Mrs. Neeta Verma. The 
| chairperson was furious and offered to step down from her post. She
pointed
| out that the committee has met numerous times and Microsoft never
brought
| this issue up in front of the committee nor did they check the facts
with her
| or her organization before complaining to the apex office.
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/03/microsoft-files-complaint-on-ooxm...

Should India change its vote No vote for OOXML? - please?

,----[ Quote ]
| Well done to the Bureau of Indian Standards for standing firm
against this
| raging bully. Hopefully one day the bully will learn how to play
fair and
| contribute positively to the standards process, and not try to
manipulate its
| way in.
|
| Truly despicable behaviour. Shame on you, Microsoft, yet again. How
will we
| ever trust you?
`----

http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2008/03/should-india-ch.html

Steve Ballmer was in India?

,----[ Quote ]
| Interestingly, that was the day when BIS met to discuss OOXML. For
those who
| have been following this issue, India's final vote on the subject
will be on
| 20th May 2008. Talk about timing!
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/03/steve-ballmer-was-in-india.html

Microsoft influencing partner NGOs to support OOXML in India

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is encouraging its business partners to promote its Office
Open XML
| specification (OOXML) to the Indian Bureau of Standards (BIS) and
Ministry of
| IT. This move has incensed supporters of the rival OpenDocument
Format (ODF)
| who fear that the "soft" Indian state may not be able to stand up to 
| Microsoft pressure tactics.
`----

http://www.linux.com/feature/128528

Microsoft India using NGOs to fake support for OOXML

http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-44038/microsoft-india-using-ngos-to-fa...

Becoming a better company: Microsoft helps NGOs in India

,----[ Quote ]
| Of course, there has to be some trade-offs, because there should
never be
| free lunch, even for the ones who starve: Microsoft, according to
this
| article, has conditioned its help to Indian NGOs to their support of
OOXML.
| What the NGOs had to do was to send letters of support on OOXML to
the
| federal government of India.
`----

http://standardsandfreedom.net/index.php/2008/02/29/becoming-a-better...

Microsoft "persuades" NGOs to support OOXML

,----[ Quote ]
| Our friends at Linux Delhi have put up a copy of the form letters
that
| Microsoft has been sending NGOs on the OOXML issue. Apparently,
these NGOs
| have been sending copies of these letters to the Ministry of IT and
Bureau of
| Indian standards.
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/02/microsoft-persuades-ngos-to-suppo...

Developers around the world, unite!

,----[ Quote ]
| Monopoly and proprietary software have an advantage in influencing
state and
| governmental institutions because of their large market base and
ready
| capital. Unscrupulous ways of influencing state governments have
persisted in
| India, for example, where executives of proprietary software cajole 
| government heads to promote their brands in lieu of some form of
charity
| given. FLOSS activists must overcome this huge challenge in order to
get
| their philosophy accepted and model implemented for the good of
people who
| are still on the barren side of the digital divide.
`----

http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=147277&catid=11

Using NGOs to Push Agendas

,----[ Quote ]
| The extent to which Microsoft can go in its efforts to get OOXML is 
| interesting. Microsoft has "persuaded" several non-profit
organizations to
| bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General
of the
| Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML
proposal. A copy
| of the form letter they have been circulating to NGOs is given
below.
| Somebody should interview these NGOs to see how much they really
know about
| OOXML and open standards.
|
| The sequence of events leading up to the spamming of GoI? is:
|
| Letter from an NGO thanking Microsoft (name changed to protect their
| identity)
`----

http://wiki.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/OpenStandards/MsNgoLobby
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