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Microsoft Windows standards

From: "Peter F. Dubuque" <peterd@shell3.primushost.com>
Subject: Re: Is it possible
References: <95uisj$vh0$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
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<wMBl6.6183$JG.794100@news.shore.net>
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Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 23:24:12 GMT

In comp.lang.basic.visual.misc Ian R <ianr@notquitesure.net> wrote:
> That is complete and utter crap. There's obviously no point in continuing
> this.

> Peter F. Dubuque <peterd@shell3.primushost.com> wrote in message
> news:wMBl6.6183$JG.794100@news.shore.net...
>> In comp.lang.basic.visual.misc Ian R <ianr@notquitesure.net> wrote:
>>
>> > And exactly what protocols and standards have they screwed up ?
>>
>> HTML exports in Office.
>> CSS1.
>> Java.
>> Kerberos.
>>
>> Just to mention a few.

Here are my assertions, elaborated upon.

- Office exports an unmaintainable melange of HTML, XML, VML, and CSS.  The
severity of this varies depending on the product.  Word, for example, 
merely exports grotesque code that works in some form in other 
browsers.  PowerPoint HTML exports are usually unviewable in any browser
other than IE.

- Except for IE5.5 for the Macintosh, no Microsoft browser is fully
compliant with CSS level 1.  Three non-compliant Windows versions (4.0,
5.0, and 5.5) have been released since it was adopted as a standard over
four years ago.

- Microsoft developed a proprietary version of Java intended to lock
developers into the Windows platform.  They labeled it as JAVA COMPATIBLE
even though it failed Sun's compatibility tests.  

- Microsoft's implementation of Kerberos contains proprietary extensions
that make it incompatible with other implementations.  They released
details of their extensions on their website with a click-through EULA that
allows the use of the information "for the sole purpose of reviewing the
Specification for security analysis" and explicitly withholding the right
to use the information to implement a version of Kerberos compatible with
the specification.  

There are plenty of other possible complaints.  I'm omitting 
- obvious bugs
- modification of Microsoft's proprietary standards to either lock people
  into their products or force upgrades (e.g. perpetually changing Office
  file formats)
- attempts to introduce competing proprietary standards when perfectly
  acceptable open standards already exist (e.g. DirectX vs. OpenGL)


Rebut these complaints, if you wish, or don't--I don't care.  But don't
dismiss them as "complete and utter crap" unless you have facts to back
up your dismissal.

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