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On Monday 17 July 2006 17:54, sven@slueppken.de wrote:
> > - actually using the converter requires koffice to interpret
> > Microsoft's Open Packaging Conventions - another proprietary standard
> > you must understand (and licence).
>
> You know that Microsoft has submitted their specs to the ECMA so that
> everybody who wants to can participate in the development of OpenXML?

MS has submitted their spec, true. The rest of your statement is false.
Just because its a standard does not mean its an _open_ standard. That=20
takes a lot more. [1]

> >- there are still patents on the fileformat itself and helping out the
> > =A0project can leave you open to litigation from microsoft.
>
> Well, patents are on the OpenDocument format too, it was implemented in
> KOffice anyway.

Various independent lawyers found ODF to be safe. [2]
On the other hand there are various independent lawyers that said exactly=20
the opposite of the MS format. [3].

> I'm not a laywer and those licensing issues are always quite delicate,
> but why not give Microsoft a chance?=20

I'm not a lawyer either, but I surely am keeping up to date and I first of=
=20
all listen to a lot of different sources when getting my news. Over the=20
last couple of years I found that its very seldom that MS propaganda=20
(including msn blogs) will tell you the full story or even the plain=20
truth.
I have repeatedly given MS 'a chance', and limiting my observations to=20
this case, there is just too much that needs to be fixed on the MS side=20
for me to honestly state that contributing to this project will not have=20
long lasting negative effects on your ability to work on free software or=20
even KOffice. And I really don't want people to start working in kde svn=20
on this for that reason as well.

I hope this clears things up a little.


1) Its off topic to go into the difference of open standards and=20
rubber-stamped standards; I suggest you start here:
http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=3D20051216153153504

2)=20
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=3D104&STORY=3D/www/story/=
07-12-2006/0004395762&EDATE=3D

3) http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=3D20051129101457378
There can be found more behind [1]. And Martin pointed to a thread as=20
well.
=2D-=20
Thomas Zander

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