The anti-OOXML mob need to lift their game - O'Reilly XML Blog

Read the full post for more context-setting.  I for one am glad this debate, at least in the ISO ballot domain, will soon be history.

Here are three questions: they are not the same:

• Does being pro-ODF require you to be anti-OOXML?
• Does being pro-ODF require you to be against DIS29500 mark II being accepted as an ISO/IEC standard?
• Does being anti-Microsoft require you to be anti-DIS29500?

A lot of the FUD over the last year has based on the idea that if you are anti-Microsoft you must be pro-ODF and if you are pro-ODF you must be anti-OOXML and if you are anti-OOXML you must be against the acceptance of DIS29500 mark II. It is George Bush-like simplification Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists that tries to excluded any middle ground.

[...]

The logical fallacy here is called the fallacy of the excluded middle: the idea that reasonable people might reasonably disagree is not allowed. And thence to the imputation of corruption.

The anti-OOXML mob need to lift their game - O'Reilly XML Blog