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Well, first sorry for the long hiatus, I was very busy with the Software Freedom Day in Ha Noi and have been sick since then.

My readership knows what happened september 2^nd 2007, when Microsoft tried to fast-track its OOXML that would provide a second ISO standard in addition of ISO/IEC 26300 for office document after ODF. For the “unaware” of us, Microsoft attempted to get fast tracked an ISO certification for its open XML format (MS office 2007) but it failed.

Allegations of vote buying and bullying and “over the top” PR from the big Redmond Firm has been fusing from all over the place, some allegations seems to be well documented, and some have even remarked that their was a slight tendency for more corrupted countries to vote for the fast track. The link while tenuous and non causal added to all those allegations plus the fact that some countries usually not interested in ISO standards became suddenly interested, makes the whole thing an atrocious story for ISO, all standard bodies and the M$ PR department. Everybody gave its opinion, industry analyst, economists, geeks, government bodies etc.

One voice wasn’t heard : Non Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organization.

… nothing, never heard of that, beep, no image no sound…

Did the big and smaller NGOs (Oxfam, Actionaid, Care etc.) autocensored themselves because they have deals with MS to reduce their licensing costs or were they silenced because they receive a lot of money from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation ? If at least this is what happened then it means they care… But my gut feeling tell me that apart from some IT personnel in those organization, nobody cares.

I have been over and over with that at least they should “show some sign of interest” on the battlefront of Information technology use and fairness. Yes they should care because they all write long reports, share and publish them. They also do care for “fair” development and most of them believe that fair means more equality and more justice. Big NGOs have yet to show that they have something to say in this matter…