Saturday 9 February 2008
Blog moved
My blog is now hosted by Wordpress, so at this point it is easier to assign a new address: http://log.openxp.net/
Friday 8 February 2008
OOXML meets EU antitrust
CNN notes that the EU is looking into the OOXML actions of Microsoft (the original article requires a subscription).
I wouldn't count on the EU to show more backbone than last time, but I guess the company won't be so happy about the timing, considering the BRM takes place in about two weeks from now. (By the way, isn't all this bad press quite ridiculous? People keep confusing themselves with ideas such as "quality", or "fair play". It's so annoying!)
After that, there's another month for voting countries to present their final opinion, so I guess we'll have to wait until the beginning of April for the actual outcome. (Would a rejection from ISO put an end to it, though? Or would an approval of OOXML be taken seriously?)
One thing is clear: both Microsoft and ISO will have to reshape - the length of the rubber stamping process demonstrates clear deficiencies on both ends. Let's hope for the best.
I wouldn't count on the EU to show more backbone than last time, but I guess the company won't be so happy about the timing, considering the BRM takes place in about two weeks from now. (By the way, isn't all this bad press quite ridiculous? People keep confusing themselves with ideas such as "quality", or "fair play". It's so annoying!)
After that, there's another month for voting countries to present their final opinion, so I guess we'll have to wait until the beginning of April for the actual outcome. (Would a rejection from ISO put an end to it, though? Or would an approval of OOXML be taken seriously?)
One thing is clear: both Microsoft and ISO will have to reshape - the length of the rubber stamping process demonstrates clear deficiencies on both ends. Let's hope for the best.
Sunday 3 February 2008
Mortal assumptions
(Warning: clear signs of philosophical tendencies follow.)
Humans. When will we ever learn?
Why could, say, sarcasm be so hard to convey at times? An audience would simply assume a message is serious, and for some reason - no matter how absurd the conclusions would seem - the assumptions are not the first to be questioned.
To make things worse, sometimes said conclusions are not communicated back, but maybe this is not a big deal in the long run? Or maybe it is?
Interpreting a message without trying to understand the context is like running a business without a strategy.
Incidentally, I suggest the more convinced you are that you know the context and the underlying motives, the more likely it is that you don't. Just consider e-mail conversations.
Apparently, exercising the mind with openness means accepting that there are no simple answers. On the other hand, it should bring you closer to the truth, so it seems like a logical choice. Inconvenient, maybe, but logical.
What, then, is worse than one assumption? Software patents, of course! (Oops, I meant: "several assumptions".)
Now and then, I see people who argue heavily for one cause one day, and the opposite the next. Repeat this process any number of times, without any tangible attempts of understanding what went wrong, or even the mere awareness of having changed their mind (a possible side effect of using the gut).
So, how many assumptions did you just engage in when reading this post? (Don't forget to count the idea that they can be counted in the first place.)
Humans. When will we ever learn?
Why could, say, sarcasm be so hard to convey at times? An audience would simply assume a message is serious, and for some reason - no matter how absurd the conclusions would seem - the assumptions are not the first to be questioned.
To make things worse, sometimes said conclusions are not communicated back, but maybe this is not a big deal in the long run? Or maybe it is?
Interpreting a message without trying to understand the context is like running a business without a strategy.
Incidentally, I suggest the more convinced you are that you know the context and the underlying motives, the more likely it is that you don't. Just consider e-mail conversations.
Apparently, exercising the mind with openness means accepting that there are no simple answers. On the other hand, it should bring you closer to the truth, so it seems like a logical choice. Inconvenient, maybe, but logical.
What, then, is worse than one assumption? Software patents, of course! (Oops, I meant: "several assumptions".)
Now and then, I see people who argue heavily for one cause one day, and the opposite the next. Repeat this process any number of times, without any tangible attempts of understanding what went wrong, or even the mere awareness of having changed their mind (a possible side effect of using the gut).
So, how many assumptions did you just engage in when reading this post? (Don't forget to count the idea that they can be counted in the first place.)
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