Microsoft pries open Office 2003

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Still lock-in, or at least lock-out!

Who's the most threatening competitor to Microsoft's Office domination? Not Corel's Word Perfect, but the numerous Open Source packages dominated by GPL'd OpenOffice.org. There are many others, but all will be prevented from using Microsoft's Word 2003's schema. Why?

Even though Microsft grants a royalty-free license to the patent on their schema; they do so in a manner that precludes the use of the GPL on any derived software. The license itself has been yanked by Microsft (404 error), but their lead-in page:

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/ip/format/xmlpatentlicense.asp

specifically says "You are not licensed to sublicense or transfer your rights." This flies directly in the face of any Free or Open software license, especially the much feared-by-Microsoft GPL, which is the license of most of the Free Software office suites.

The GPL states in section 7 that patent rights must be transferable. If such is not true, then the patented technology may not be included. The move therefore is of little use to anyone building free or open software, or in building such software over a free or open platform, and thus Microsoft locks-out their largest competitor from compatibility. Similarly, the BSD license implies the same patent.

That said, Bit, Axe, or whomever you are today, for all your protestations that Microsoft is now revealing the schema; one can equally observe that they are doing so in a manner which does not foster interoperation with any platform except Windows. Since the goal of XML is human-readable interoperability between datasets on different platforms; Microsoft has gone from being a closed architecture to one which subverts the very fabric of XML. Open is only open if it is open for all comers and all purposes. One cannot be almost open without being mostly closed. To say otherwise is to deny the definition of open.

Now, you may not want OpenOffice today, nor any of the compatible packages, but someday there might be a feature in one that you cannot resist. However, you won't be able to have it without leaving all your DRM'd Microsoft documents behind. Microsft will have locked you in through a twist in the legal system that forbids open and free development of a compatible product and your own legacy of documents that you will not be able to convert. Sad that situation, but it is lock-in, or at the very least lock-out.

If Microsoft chooses to lock-out their cheif competitor, then that is their privelege. However, if they do so and simultaneously claim to be open, then they are playing their same old game of misdirection and lies. Always ask, "What are you not telling me?" of any Microsft claim. Chances are that behind it will be one that closes your options.

Now that I've predicted the doom and the gloom; I've just thought of a flaw in Microsft's logic and I shall be posting it soon enough.

Posted by: John Le'Brecage   Posted on: 11/17/03 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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