Obsolete Website

During these days a great interest has been received by the article on OOXML, which has gatered an unforeseeable quantity of trafic. In two days more than 2,000 visitors from all over the World. This has ignited my curiosity.

In strict anonymity of users, I have checked with Google Analytics the most interesting datum (beyond the referral, thus the sites that have cited my site, thanks to all of them). I mean, browser identity. This is the list:

Also in Italy we are discussing if the Office Open XML format (the XML format which replicates the working of MS Office 2007) is to be approved as an ISO standard (ISO/IEC DIS 29500), with a "fast track" procedure. For several reasons this would seem unacceptable. Many are indeed the unanswered questions on the standard.

The voting in Italy was scheduled to end the 13 of July, for members enrolled on or before 8th July. Strange things started to happen, not unlike other member bodies' situations abroad.  Up and until mid-may the members of the relevant Uninfo committee (JTC1) were five: IBM, Microsoft, CEDEO (Leonardo Chiariglione), the PLIO organization (Openoffice.org in Italy) and HP. Then new members started flocking. At the last count, voters were 83 [0].

Wow! a great number, indeed! If one considers that admission to JTC1 costs in excess of EUR 2000 (more than 2700 USD), it shows a great deal of interest in the standardization process (is the irony sufficiently evident?).

17 September 2007, big fuss, in a public hearing the Decision Microsoft vs. EC Commission T-201/04will be delivered.

Slightly less than one and a half year after the public hearing and more than three years since its beginning, the most important case of the European Antitrust story, and perhaps of the overall Antitrust story, will see the end of its first, most important chapter.

All digital citizens, as well as citizens tout court, should be keeping fingers crossed, as this decision will be affecting all of them, for the better and the worse.

Of course I will be there! 

The definitive version of GNU GPL v.3 is finally out. On FSF's website you will find all the latest additions and rationale. Also, an interview on the subject has been published on  VisionPost (in Italian, sadly).