Topic: Why Microsoft should not criticize Open Source Software.

[Nemesis]

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The start of it was Microsoft's assertion that programs using the OpenDocument file format could not be used by handicapped people.

Microsoft in its efforts to derail ODF in Massachusetts made that assertion.  Accessibility to the handicapped is not based on the file format but on the Applications features.  Microsofts own Office suite appears to rely mostly on 3rd party addons to give it that functionality.  Open Source Office suites had not been paying attention to that area - now they are.  Microsoft publicly pointed out an area in which they were weak, they looked and agreed that they are weak.  Now they are working out those particular muscles.

The Open Source developers at times do agree with Microsoft.  Microsoft hates it when that happens. 

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Enhanced Accessibility for Users with Disabilities

The decision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to base its future document format on open standards started a great debate with many different people and organization taking part. The start of it was Microsoft's assertion that programs using the OpenDocument file format could not be used by handicapped people.

The direct outcome of this debate was that OpenOffice.org, KOffice and vendors of other office software started to work hard on rectifying this situation. This version of KOffice has support for enhanced accessibility through the means of mouseless operation and text-to-speech functionality.

It is therefore our hope that KOffice can in future be used even by handicapped users, and we are very interested in feedback on this.

This is not the first time this has happened but Microsoft is still repeating this mistake.