There is no shortage of reports

The so called experts presented a few months ago, its report and the Competition Authority is expected to make its supplementary report in the autumn. CIO Innovation Forum came a short time ago with a report on Denmarks (missing?) ambitions and Norway has just published a so-called royal decree, which describes the technical formats that henceforth be used in Norway.

Wow.

What are we going to do with all the reports?

We may, among other compere the level of ambitions in the two countries Norway and Denmark. The Danish reports are typically written on the basis of previous reports, regardless of the reports drawn quality and therefore rarely controversial or significant conclusions in the reports. In essence, it is as if, on the intention is to ensure the status quo.

The Norwegian report is in contrast, very ambitious. Eg. , it is clear from the recent report from Norway that it is an indisputable fact that proprietary formats hinder competition. The fact that the Norwegian report entirely fails to discuss, it is a fact. In Denmark, however, we are only now beginning to explore (in a report), the proprietary formats hinder competition.

What causes this difference?

Norway has a long professional tradition of open source software. Eg. the Internet browser Opera is Norwegian developed and the widely used database program MySQL, was originally developed in Norway. Norway has built up over many years a widely accepted business model for open source software. There is room for companies to do business with both proprietary software and open source software.

In Denmark we do not have this tradition and open source software continues to have a street to be cheerful and frivolous. Her winning the argument ”it is a universally recognized standard and widely used” always ”it makes sense.”

The report I wish we see

There is a report which I would like to read.

It has not yet written and will probably never be written in Denmark. The title is: Open source software's long-term impact on the economy.

What will happen if we are in a country like Denmark has an ambition to generally use and develop open source software?

What impact will it have on the country and what impact it will have on the world community?

In the latest report from Norway argues for example; Ogg video format that has not as widely disseminated as such as .MP4. But now that Norway is beginning to use the ogg format, as recommended, the Norwegian quickly achieve high competence with ogg and will be able to set requirements for the future development of this video format. There will also probably be developed software for processing and playing ogg video.

Has this development not an impact on the choice of open standards and open source software? Unfortunately, I have not found the report.

Norway: ODF is in - OOXML is out

The Norwegian government has made a clear statement in a new catalog covering data standards of various purposes.

Public enterprises should not use other file formats than ODF (version 1.1) and PDF as attachment at the exchange of documents by email. This rule will apply from 1. January 2011.

The Danish government is still working on a similar decision. A report from the Danish competition authority has been delayed. Unfortunately I fear that the Danish government will make a non-decision as usually like: "Each authority may decide for them selves". This will end up in a chaos with at least four different document formats (OOXML, ODF, legacy .doc files and PDF).

Source: Digi.no http://www.digi.no/817635/her-er-statens-nye-it-standarder

What really happened in Norway..

The former chairman in Norway speaks about what actually happened:

http://topicmaps.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/the-norway-vote-what-really-happened/

Disgusting is what it is

Microsoft wanted that approval at any cost.

We didn't cheat. It wasn't fraud. It was clean and honest.

All' right then. Then we dont use the same definition of those words. We don't share the same moral.

Take a look at these 37 letters that was received at Standard Norway just before the vote:
http://people.opera.com/howcome/2007/ooxml/37-brev.pdf . 37 letters with exactly the same words. Some of the senders didn't even care to remove the 'Type company name here' text.

Simular letters has been circulating in Denmark as an e-mail from the Danish MD Jørgen Bardenfleth to customers and business partners.

I call it fraud, cheating and disgusting. If I wasn't anti-Microsoft before, I am now. Disgusting !

http://www.version2.dk/artikel/6965

Demonstration against OOXML in Oslo, Norway

http://www.computerworld.dk/art/45252
http://www.digi.no/php/art.php?id=519531

Demonstration in Oslo, Norway on April 9th.

==============================================================
           Demonstration against Microsoft OOXML
                Wednesday 9 April @ 12:00
                       Oslo, Norway
==============================================================
Steve Pepper, the former Chairman of the Norwegian committee responsible for deciding the Norwegian vote on OOXML, is calling for a demonstration to take place outside the building where SC34, the ISO committee that has been landed with OOXML, is holding its spring plenary.

The demonstration will take place outside Håndverkeren, Rosenkrantzgate 7, Oslo, Norway, on Wednesday April 9 at 12.00.

Among the slogans are:

* No to ISO approval of OOXML!
* Defend the integrity of ISO!
* Microsoft: Support ODF!
* Ecma: Withdraw OOXML
* Norway must say no to OOXML!

Steve Pepper is supported by the majority of the Norwegian technical committee who were against approving OOXML, but who were overruled by the bureaucracy at Standard Norway.

"I call on all those opposed to ISO's approval of OOXML to join this demonstration", says Steve Pepper. "Standard Norway defends its scandalous act by pointing to 37 identical letters that were formulated by Microsoft and sent to Standard Norway by Microsoft's partners and customers during the open hearing."

"If they want numbers, we can give them numbers. Join me on the street and show your disapproval. Please pass this message on around the globe.

Let's use *our* technology for everything it is worth."

More (Norwegian): http://www.digi.no/php/art.php?id=519231

Norway changes its vote to NO

The Norwegian mirror committee to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 has send a letter to ISO to confirm that the committee agrees with chairman Steve Pepper. Norway votes NO.

http://www.digi.no/php/art.php?id=519159

Norway: The chairman posts a formal protest

The chairman of the Norwegian committee ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 Steve Pepper has formally posted a complaint about the procedure. http://www.digi.no/php/art.php?id=517414

Another financial report from Ramböll Management

The Norwegian newspaper TU (http://www.tu.no) claims that the Norwegian adoption of open standards and open source software will be very expensive. The article (Norwegian): http://www.tu.no/it/article129909.ece. The conclusion comes from a report done by Ramböll Management based on calculations of the amount of documents that has to be converted.

Ramboll Management - Don't we recognize that company name ?

Yes we do. This is the exact same company that made two similar reports in Denmark last year. Here they also claimed, that the costs will be huge and the benefits will be small. Also then (last year in Denmark), Ramböll Management could only come to a negative conclusion because they think that the authorities will continue to use (and buy) Microsoft software. Basically Ramböll takes only the costs and claims that the benefits will never come.

How about asking someone else next time. To me, this sounds like a fotocopy of the Danish report of last year.