RE: XML.ORG Advisory Committee

[sutor@us.ibm.com]

I would be happy to take this offline as we obviously still have a
difference
in opinion. I'll be at XTech all day on Thursday so perhaps we can get
together with Bill, Jon, and anyone else who would like to discuss this.

..........................................................
Bob Sutor
Program Director, XML Technology
716-243-2445 / Fax 716-243-1778 / Tieline 320-9138
Cellular 716-317-6899 / Pager 1-800-946-4645 PIN # 1473757
sutor@us.ibm.com


Bob Glushko <Bob.glushko@commerceone.com>@lists.oasis-open.org on
02/27/2000 01:21:35 PM

Please respond to xmlorg@lists.oasis-open.org

Sent by:  owner-xmlorg@lists.oasis-open.org


To:   "'xmlorg@lists.oasis-open.org'" <xmlorg@lists.oasis-open.org>
cc:
Subject:  RE: XML.ORG Advisory Committee



Bob Sutor:
> I'm not thrilled by the introduction of politics
> into this discussion, especially when it is delivered
> by proxies for a supposedly offended megacorporation.

This isn't about politics, it's about process.

None of us is delivering a message as a proxy for Microsoft.  It is my
opinion, and apparently Jon's as well, that we haven't followed a process
that stands up to public scrutiny as well as we'd like it to -- and this
has
political implications for our viability and success..  Microsoft has said
numerous times to people from Commerce One, to other people in the XML
community,  and to reporters that they think that OASIS and xml.org are
biased organizations.  I've seen similar opinions expressed in xml-dev and
other public forums.  None of this thrills me as the person who has to
justify Commerce One's sponsor-level membership in OASIS and xml.org and
our
substantial ongoing commitment of people to achieve their goals.

> At no time since the end of May did any of you step
> up or offer to chair or coordinate this activity.
> It is rather late to take offense now.

Commerce One didn't offer because we've contributed a huge amount of Terry
Allen's time for years to these organizations and simply can't afford more.
If I'd anticipated the way things would play out, maybe we would have found
more resources, because where we are now is undermining the value that we
sought to get from OASIS and expecially from xml.org.

I reacted the day I saw the announcement that a chairman of xml.org had
been
named without considering the internal or external implications of having
IBM people positioned prominently in both OASIS and XML.ORG.  Given that we
supposedly have hundreds of members, this simply doesn't look right and
doesn't encourage the perception we want.

Reacting the same day is hardly too late.  And I'm not taking offense -- I
questioned the process.  If the former equals the latter we have even more
process problems than I thought.

bob