Comments on: California may adopt OpenDocument

Bill would require state agencies to adopt ODF as a standard and exclude the use of proprietary file formats.

[C_G_K]

Great Idea

It's amazing that something coming from a San Francisco Democrat could be worthy of praise, but this sounds like a great idea. Trying to ram a proprietary format down our throats is the only way Micro$oft can perpetuate it's monopoly with M$ Office products, especially Word. If they are forced to use an open format, then any software company can create word processing programs we can use. Bye bye M$ monopoly and grossly inflated prices for M$ office products. Let's hope this creates a domino effect with other states doing the same. Eventually, M$ will be forced to come around, and (Bill Gates, cover your eyes) be forced to compete on a level playing field. Wow, what a concept!

[`WarpKat]

Microsoft Intervention Looming

Today, I've marked my calendar as the beginning of a ticking clock to see exactly how many days it takes for Microsoft to interv...ermmm...'LOBBY'...the California Assembly to reject this bill.

I'd be surprised if we didn't see any action before Friday or Monday evening.

If Microsoft DOES indeed interve...'LOBBY'...then it'll mark yet another state or country it has bough...'persuaded'...to reject ODF.

[asdf]

Grat idea to keep down the cost of govt

Why shouldn't Cal. and every other state do this? Obviously, the total cost of ownership of documents in ODF is less than .Doc. I want my money spent wisely and I want my tax pennies pinched, so, yeah, right on... this is a good piece of legislation.

[Sir Limey]

Cost down?

Wake up and smell reality. Your telling me that I (work in local Government) have to throw away a 10 year investment in a proven technology that works well for us, change the way we do business, eat the cost of training staff and installing software. And this will be cost effective when?
You want your taxes pinched? My IT budget has been reduced every year for the last 5 years. Want to donate some extra taxes so I can afford to do this??

[inthewoods]

Excellent!

I don't care who writes the documents or with what program, just so long as we publish public documents in public formats unaffected by commercial interests. Why on earth would we do anything else?

[imhodudes]

How long 'til MS co-opts?

You can bet that MS has engineers dreaming up contingency plans for co-opting opendoc. As they tried with html and java - add a few "extra" "optional" "value-add" "consumer choice" "extended opendoc" features that only work in MS Office, make sure that all MS-certified techs know and become comfortable with these features, etc. Maybe they'll sign a no-lawsuit pledge if your word processing application uses MS's "value-add" features in its opendoc(-like) file format.

Hey Bill, the whole world's watching this time . . .