Dissecting the "Malaysian Halal Hub Open XML System"

This is a continuation of the blog post "Malaysia warms to OOXML ...?" which asks whether there is a real authentic grass-roots uptake of MSOOXML technologies in Malaysia. This blog post will inspect the agreement between Microsoft Malaysia and its first "convert".

Back in May 2007, InTech which is a technology pullout of a Malaysian mainstream daily, featured this news article:

Microsoft to power halal industry ICT system by H. Amir Khalid, InTech.

The event was also covered in Tech&U which featured a picture of Microsoft's MD Ms Yasmin Mahmood, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the heads of the Halal Development Corp (HDC). I can't find an online version of this mainly because the Tech&U /  Computimes website is terribly antiquated and fails to hold news older than 2 weeks. Hopefully the current upgrading of their website fixes these deficiencies.

We didn't choose to cover this topic in detail because it was a rather niche industry and does not really affect the international impact for OOXML. However, we correctly guessed that the Malaysian Microsofties may use the photo-op as proof show gullible government servants that "even the PM endorses OOXML," and this was proven to be true in the infamous "dragging of feet" pressure article. Fortunately government servants are not as gullible as foreign vendors think, and have now a strong distaste of any form of vendor pressure.

But anyway, as a refresher, some quotables are:

"Regarded as a first, the development of the system will involve software engineering and architecture skills provided by Microsoft and partners and domain expertise from HDC. The system will be based on Open XML, an international open standard approved by ECMA International." - As reported by Rosana Said, Tech&U

“What’s more, the Malaysian Halal Hub Open XML System provides for easier and better integration than other competing technologies, and empowers administrators and users with greater choice, flexibility and innovation which will be particularly important given that the system is designed to cater for the needs of the international halal community.” - Ms Yasmin Mahmud, MD Microsoft Malaysia

What was the event really all about? A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is just an agreement which is not legally binding as it lacks the power of a contract. It is used extensively in this part of the world mainly as a PR exercise where the two (or more) parties get on a stage in a hotel, to exchange signatures all in front of TV cameras and press. Its more of a publicity event than anything.

I tried getting in touch with some stakeholders back then, but there was no response. However after yesterdays post, an anonymous reader sent me some valuable information on the MOU. So OpenMalaysiaBlog readers can have the details of what they really agreed on.

The MOU in detail.

From the outset the MOU defines "OXML" as the cornerstone of the architecture of this ICT solution:

The summary of the MOU is consistent with the reports from the press, where HDC and Microsoft will work together to create a "total Halal ICT solution". What is strange is that "OXML" has to be included in the architecture, as a key piece of technology to be used.

Its putting the cart before the horse. One doesn't decide on the underlying technology before the architecture is fully realised. Why mention MSOOXML at all? Unless of course this MOU is nothing about the validity of technology but a pure play Public Relations exercise ...

HDC's contribution

Lets see if PR is the prime driver of the MOU by studying what really is entailed from the two parties:

Read that. HDC shall "promote Microsoft technologies and standards specifically OXML at Microsoft and HDC events". This is looking more like a Public Relations MOU rather than a purpose of technology exchange.

HDC does not need to confirm the validity of using MSOOXML as its core technology. Instead it should just blindly go with all Microsoft technologies, irrespective of the fact that the US based Microsoft have trade embargoes with fellow Islamic countries like Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Syria. How exactly, will the people of Iraq submit their next order of halal chicken from Malaysia, if the only way to do it via MSOOXML of which Microsoft Office 2007 is they only application in existence which supports this functionality?

[notice there are two 'b's in the MOU? the first two was correctly formatted using automatic line numbering. while the following two were ... you guessed it, manually typed in with spaces and tabs! The person drafting the MOU obviously requires some form of word-processor training]

Microsoft's Contribution

So what does HDC get in return for pimping Microsoft warez?

The MOU never fails to reiterate (for the third time already) that PARTICULARLY OXML has to be implemented in the project. Microsoft seem so anxious to force fit this one immature standard in the project ... coming off as desperate almost. Its as sad as calling the entire project "The Malaysian Halal Hub Open XML System"

It's good that Microsoft will be fully funding the Proof of Concept (POC), but what exactly is not clear is the final product. Does "deploy" in the MOU mean the deployment of the POC which doesn't really make much sense, or does it mean the deployment of the final full blown portal? Because if it is, then HDC has got a great deal here! Free implementation and deployment is being offered here. Kudos to the HDC negotiation team.

What I like about Microsoft's contribution is to "advise HDC on technical matters". Heh. I mean would you like to have on board a consultant with complete vested interests in its own technologies to advise you on what architecture to build your world class e-commerce portal on? Do you think Microsoft would advise HDC to take on a LAMP stack?

But how can you not trust Microsoft? It seems like such a bargain! As the HDC Chairman himself said in the event:

"We went with Microsoft as a partner for this project because it is the largest software company in the world and it has the resources to help make the project a success." -  Tan Seri Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim, HDC chairman

As they say, "Nobody fires anyone for choosing IBM Microsoft."

So we need to ask ourselves this question. Is OOXML gaining favour in Malaysia? Is Malaysia really warming up to OOXML? Is there real industry acceptance for OOXML in Malaysia, or even in the world?

Or is it a case of a company unwittingly signing an MOU for freebies just to promote an obscure technology by a vendor? 

We must be clear:  HDC has not done anything wrong here. They have acted just like any commercial entity presented with a too-good-to-be-true deal would.

If a vendor offered to implement and deploy a project which fulfilled your needs, and the only "payment" you have to do is to promote a certain tech, however arcane, you too would sign up immediately. Its a simple matter of commercial interests, as they say.

However, if a certain vendor offers to fully implement a whole Portal free of charge in exchange for a  high profile customer's testament just for a particular technology, (nevermind if the technology is actually used or not,)  is this really ethical?

What if they do this multiple times, and then release a press statement saying that "well looky here! Malaysian companies (by their own independent implementations) love this technology!"

How ethical is that?

Its ironic because in the same MOU, it states:

And the best comes from this quote:

“This is an important milestone for us, and today’s signing is a new chapter in our ongoing efforts to continue Malaysianising Microsoft,”- Yasmin Mahmood

So is it Malaysianising Microsoft, or is it Microsofting Malaysia? Microsoft's paranoia and drive to make MSOOXML an international standard may just be its own demise.

BTW, this is just the first of the three examples of wonderful Malaysian companies adopting MSOOXML. We still have RosettaNet and Tradenex.com's real deal with Microsoft to dissect. It makes you wonder if Microsoft Malaysia's desperate efforts to make MSOOXML a success also meant they extended favours to these other companies. Did they? We'll soon find out.

yk.

Comments

[roth]

>will be based on Open XML, an
>international open standard
>approved by ECMA

sorry, i stopped reading when i saw this...

what is Open XML ? i don't know any "standard" with this name

( by the way, as far as i know, *any* XML per-se is open ... so this name is very confusing )

may be the reporter is refering to the draft specification sended by Microsoft to ISO , asking "ISO status" via fast-tracking, known as
Office Open XML ( by the way, a name still confusing, because there is a software product named Open Office with a native document format in XML )

thank you

[Winter]

The switch from OOXML to Open XML is no coincedence.

It looks like a deliberate attempt to derail the discussions (again) by changing the names all over again. It started right at the loss of the September vote.

And, of course, to paint ODF as NOT-XML.

Look at Brian Jones' blog "Mapping documents in the binary format (.doc; .xls; .ppt) to the Open XML format"

Also, the Burton adverstudy already blamed IBM for using OOXML to insult MS:
“What's In a Name?: Innuendo,”
and
“IBM and Sun reference it via its Ecma name of “Office Open XML” (as reminder of its origins in the proprietary Microsoft Office file formats).”

I think we won't see the Office Open XML monniker again apearing from MS' lips. "Open XML", is new, improved and much better. Even better than ODF.

This really starts to look like a pathetic copy of an epic struggle from the "The Lord of the Rings":
"One Open XML to rule them all, One XML to find them, One XML to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

Winter

[Wesley Parish]

Had to laugh when I read: ""We went with Microsoft as a partner for this project because it is the largest software company in the world and it has the resources to help make the project a success." - Tan Seri Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim, HDC chairman" Yeah, remind me of the mess IBM made of a NZ Police Dept system they were developing, back in the late 1990s ... size means just so much these days ... and there are jokes which I. must. not. make. about. Microsoft. and. size!