In this post in The Hive, member Waggler comments on IBM's underhanded, yet increasingly vocal opposition to Microsoft's Open Office XML document specification.

IBM's moves in this regard make the cowardly lion in Alice in Wonderland seem most fierce.

How insidious is this wink-wink, FUD-FUD campaign?

However, the following is my reply to the post.

(Edited to allow language not allowed in The Hive.)

Why should we blame IBM?

The culprit here is Microsoft.

Yes, Microsoft!

Listen, you do not go to a gunfight with a Taser®.

Where has Microsoft been all this time?

Even now, the letter and the problem, does not seem to be addressed at the highest levels. I know those guys are, by all indications, very important to the Office dev/mktg team and Microsoft, but to everyone else outside their locus of authority, just who the fuck are they?

For this, you need Bill Gates. You need Steve Ballmer. Heck, I’ll even take Margo Day (Have you listened to that woman speak? After a speech from her, you just want to get out there and move a whole lotta Microsoft stuff!)

You need someone to take a Martin Taylor-like position and slam those donkeys at IBM.

I think Microsoft’s counter attack has to come from the very highest levels; with the executive at Microsoft taking the fight to the leaders of those countries that are trying to lead their cattle people down that path.

It was this sort of belated lukewarm response that allowed the open source tossers the opportunity to gain a foothold in the EU and LDCs because those same asswipes could point to the lack of a fierce response from Microsoft as either arrogance, or worse, indifference.

Every time I come across those same arguments, I kick them down by asking, when was the last time the head of technology assessment for the country looked at source code or expressed a wish to do so. However, the inclusion of such source code as been sold to those fools as a way of equalizing technology. Go figure!

Moreover, the counterattack has to be swift, sufficiently sarcastic, loud, coherent, consistent, and long-lasting.

It is one thing to stand and attack with Apple, since the charisma delta between St Steven Paul 1 and Bill G. is pretty wide to the general public, though not to us in the industry.

It is another thing entirely to lose a PR battle to that invisible, creepy Palmisano.

Are you fuckin' kiddin’me?

That guy is so bland, even CPAs don’t want to hang with him.

So, Microsoft, MSFT has been doing well, please keep it that way and get the VITOs out.

And in full force!

My blog post about IBM’s deceptively named ‘Open Client’ is here.

• LDC: Less-developed country, the PC name for 3^rd World country.
• VITO: Very Important Top Officer
• Martin Taylor: Where is this dude?

© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com^®