Dr. Phatak's anguish and his vigorous defense of IIT Bombay reminds all of us that none of our freedoms were easily won, and that if we do not protect them, they may be easily lost or traded for small money that will cost us dearly in the long run. The best way to celebrate the courage of Dr.

Microsoft is playing games with SIlverlight at what seems like two tiers, in order to spur adoption (along with platform+vendor lock-in).

With reference to the recent happenings in connection with the ISO standardization process of OOXML, actions by or on behalf of Microsoft have caused me deep pain and hurt. Apart from the personal anguish, these actions have tarnished the name of my Institute along with that of several other organizations represented on our committee.

Venezuela became the latest in a string of countries to appeal the approval of Microsoft's Office Open XML file format as an international standard. The format was approved in an international vote after a fast-track process that several participating countries say was flawed.

More signs of weakness arrive from the news, elucidating loss of inertia for Microsoft Office and OOXML.

There are some hurdles to jump if you wish to make use of Novell's so-called Silverlight support (Microsoft's excuse, bogus cross platform)

Slashdot seems to suggest that Brazil filed an appeal against OOXML (ISO's decision on it) after all.