And..... For all the poor deluded people who cannot think outside the Microsoft box... here is a roundup of current events: The world grew weary of being forced to support and grovel at Microsoft's feet in order to communicate and read all their old (no, not just old, ALL) their documents, so they developed and standardized a document format that anyone anywhere in the world could use anytime for free (including Microsoft, by the way), and all documents would be compatible (interoperable is the new catch-word). Some Governments even made it mandatory that all public documents use this (free open) standard document format.

Microsoft is not about to sit still and watch their established document format monopoly lock-in be compromised and cost them a few Government contracts, so they are pulling out the stops and using any form of bribery, threat, blackmail, lies, framing innocent people, or any other form of chicanery they can conjure up to have their proprietary document format be declared to be the "official standard" (so they can seize official Government contracts, see?). Since they are not encumbered by ethics (making money is their one and only goal, as many many of their disciples have reiterated), there is no limits to what they will do.

If Microsoft wins, this means more taxes for citizens around the world (the more money your Government is forced to forfeit to Microsoft, the more tax you will pay), and more limitations on communication (no document compatibility unless you fork over even more loot to Microsoft).

So if you are for higher taxes, less freedom, and restricted communications, and wish to support Microsoft (poor things had less than 50 billion $$$$$$$$$ cash, last I heard, not counting Billy's and Stevie's personal fortunes), by all means continue sending them your money and prostrate yourself toward Redmond. I'm sure Billy and Stevie will appreciate it, and dine sumptuously on your money.

Microsoft has already stated their intent to refine the subscription based model to the point of making the OS a subscription-based "service". (Simply put: eventually you'll pay MS a regular bill for the privilege of using your own hardware.) Anything they do, then, in my own common sense, is in that direction.

My impression is like this. M$ are kindly providing a document format that anyone can use and are eager for it to be taken up as a standard so as not to end up with another propriatry format. If the standard is agreed then we can use an Open Source alternative applications to view any future Office file natively, without filters and licences etc. This is a good thing yes? The writer of the quoted article seems to think this not the case.

It's exactly this sort of thing that earnt Microsoft their bad reputation in the first place. People don't just hate them because they are a successful monopoly, it's how they achieved that monopoly in the first place that grates