Related link: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20050130002908154

PJ at Groklaw asked Daniel Carrera, an OpenOffice.org volunteer, to explain the OpenDocument format. “How does a format get chosen? And is OpenDocument on the list when governments like the State of Massachusetts make up such lists of acceptable formats for governmental use? If not, what can be done to change that? Because we are all concerned about proprietary formats and standards, and more and more governments are adopting policies requiring open standards, it’s a very important subject.”

Daniel calls OpenDocument “our best chance to fight vendor lock-in associated with proprietary formats.” It’s currently being considered by the EU Commission as a candidate for an official format.

The full article includes a timeline and a summary of the Valoris Report, commissioned by the European Union’s Telematics between Administrations Committee (TAC) to explore the possibility of using Open Standards to create a more competitive marketplace. Some quotes:

“Complete the sentence, ‘OpenDocument is …’

(a) An open, XML-based file format.
(b) An open standard, supported by the OASIS and ISO standards groups.
(c) The default file format for the upcoming OpenOffice.org 2.0 and KOffice 1.4.
(d) A top prospect for an official format for the European Commission.
(e) Our best chance to fight vendor lock-in associated with proprietary formats.
(f) All of the above.

The correct answer is (f) All of the above.”

“The Valoris report was well researched and very thorough. They recommended the adoption of an open XML format backed by a recognized open standards group. The report is a most compelling document describing how open XML technologies are impacting government information systems and requirements policies.”

“The Valoris group closely monitored the development of the OpenDocument format, and by November 2004 every one of the concerns and issues they raised were directly addressed by OASIS TC. As a case in how governments and organizations go about setting information system requirements policy, the Valoris effort provides an unparalleled insight.”

The Valoris Report (in PDF) is here:

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/servlets/Doc?id=17982

Microsoft is on a security jag of late. A little while back the company released beta of a very good antispyware program. Then, a week or so ago, it followed that up with the release of a truly terrible piece of anti-malware software.

The software, Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, is close to being worthless. Its scans your system for only a handful of malicious software, then deletes what it find. But it offers no real-time protection, and ignores the many thousands of other pests making the rounds.

Worse yet, the software is part of XP’s automatic updates feature. But when automatic updates downloaded it to my PC, I was never able to find it. I had to instead go online and hunt it down.

Microsoft plans to release a new version of the software every month, and push it to everyone via automatic updates. (Good luck finding it after it downloads, though.) I don’t know why the company bothers; it’s hard to know why this software needs to exist. Most likely, it’s so that Microsoft can say that it’s doing something about security without having to actually make an effort.

Microsoft is smarter than this; its very good antispyware software proves that. The company should either beef up its virus-killer and turn it into a truly useful program, or just kill it altogether.

What do you think about Microsoft’s virus-killer?

I’ve been using beta of Microsoft AntiSpyware since its release last week, and I’m impressed - very impressed, in fact. I’ve tried all the top spyware-killers, and at the moment I’d rate it right up there at the top. But there’s a fly in the ointment, which I’ll explain after I tell you about what’s good with the beta.

Like the best spyware-killers, the beta offers real-time protection against spyware, home page hijackers, rabid ActiveX controls, Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) and other assorted pests. It offers much more in-depth control over spyware protection than its competitors, and gives you more system information as well. Its scanners have found everything that I’ve thrown at them. And it offers extras that others don’t have, such as alerting you when someone hops onto your WiFi network. In short, it’s a winner.

It’s true that Microsoft didn’t actually write it; instead, it bought Giant Company Software, tweaked that company’s Giant AntiSpyware software, and released it as the Microsoft AntiSpyware beta. That’s not the point, though. The point is that Microsoft was smart enough to buy the best one out there and then rush it out the door.

So what’s the problem? Microsoft has things backwards. After all, the reason that Windows needs a great anti-spyware tool is that the operating system is so vulnerable to spyware. Internet Explorer’s use of ActiveX controls and Browser Helper Objects means that it’s easy for spyware and other pests to worm their way into your system. And because Internet Explorer is directly tied into the operating system, it means that a successful attack on IE is a successful attack on Windows. There are countless other Windows vulnerabilities that need to be plugged as well.

To give credit where it’s due, Microsoft has released a great anti-spyware tool. Now, if the company would only devote itself to underlying Windows security, it wouldn’t have to spend so much time and money on anti-spyware software, and we’d all be better off.

Have you tried any spyware killers, or Microsoft’s new one? What do you think of how Microsoft handles security? Let me know.

The start of the year is always a good time for looking into the crystal ball. But this time around I’ll forgo the usual prognostications. Instead, here are my predictions for five things Microsoft won’t do in 2005 - but should.

Microsoft Advises People to Switch to Firefox

Microsoft surprises the world by telling users to switch to Firefox. “We’ve given up modernizing Internet Explorer or beefing up its security,” a Microsoft official admitted. “So we figured, what the heck, let’s tell people to go with the best browser out there. After all, who cares about installed base?”

Microsoft Introduces Plain-English Error Codes

Abandoning decades of tradition, Microsoft uses error codes that humans can understand. Henceforth, Windows error codes will no longer say things such as “System Error Code %ld”!” Instead, they’ll be in the kind of everyday English that people use. The most common error code will read: “Dude, your PC’s hosed!”

Microsoft Releases an iPod Killer

Microsoft rolls out a beautifully designed digital music player with more capacity than the iPod and with a slicker, more elegant look. An even bigger surprise: It doesn’t try to cram Windows onto the small LCD screen. “Who says Windows has to be everywhere?” explained a Microsoft spokesman. “Sometimes it just doesn’t fit.”

Microsoft Beefs up its Anemic Firewall

Microsoft finally adds outbound protection to its Windows Firewall, a kind of protection every other firewall has, and that it inexplicably didn’t bother to include in SP2. An unnamed Microsoft employee admits that outbound protection “just kind of slipped our mind. Who thought you’d need to worry about Trojans, bots, and spyware?”

Microsoft Rolls Out Longhorn

On February 1, at a small event attended only by half-a-dozen people, Microsoft releases the final version of Longhorn, with its full feature set. “All those times we told you it was delayed, and that we had to strip it down - we were just pulling your leg,” Bill Gates told the small group, who were sipping generic cola out of paper cups and munching on Doritos, the only food provided at the low-key event. When asked why he had made the announcement so quietly, and had forgone the usual several hundred million dollar marketing campaign to launch a new operating system, Gates answered, “Publicity, schmublicity. A product should sell itself. Who needs hype?”

What are your predictions for things Microsoft won’t do in 2005, but should?

Related link: http://www.csthota.com/blog

Okay, after getting some strong feedback, I have added more context and meaning around my “abstract” 7 lessons post.
Check it out…

Related link: http://www.csthota.com/blog

With 7 key lessons and 10 top moments, 2004 is officially over and we are already into the year 2005!
Happy new year to you all, folks!

So, what are your key lessons from 2004?