[clug] RE: MakeTheMove Website Demo

[Ben]

On 9/7/06, Mike Carden <mike.carden at gmail.com> wrote:
> My assertion is that if you need to pay someone for the tools required
> to make use of your data, then that someone has become a co-owner of
> your data. Without your money in their pocket, you cannot use your
> data.

There was some USA state or council that was going to pass a law that
said they could only work with information stored in an open format,
so as not to be bound to one supplier when working with their data. MS
stuffed around for a bit but got them to back down by stating they
would publish their Office format details by the end of 2006.

I think this would kill MS, as then OO.o could accurately read and
write all Office files, so I don't think it's going to happen.

Hopefully some part of Europe or some renegade US state or council
will pass a law like this soon and set us on the road to open formats
once and for all.

Ben