[NLedu] Researching accessibility of Silverlight-based websites

[Jan Stedehouder]

Hi Kees

2011/11/25 Kees Epema <cwepema at gmail.com>:
> Hello all,
>
> What would you all think of the ability argument?
>
> Statement:
> Microsoft is with its product Silverlight technical not able to adapt its
> technology to other platforms.

Microsoft could refute this by pointing at the support it gives to
Silverlight under Mac OS X (argument already used by the minister of
Education) and at the release of specifications for Moonlight that is
being developed for Linux, Android and iOS. It will then state, as it
has done before, that as a company it can not be held responsible for
the lackluster development of Moonlight by the FOSS community. And, as
a company, it will point out that it can not be asked to support it's
direct competitors (not to mention the argument that supporting Mac
OSX is easy in contrast to the fragmented Linux desktop market).

> The government should choose a vendor that is able to comply with
> cross-platform technical standards.
>

This is the key argument of our campaign, to make that choice mandatory.

> Arguments:
> I think it will be difficult for MS to contradict this without unveiling
> their position towards free software.
>

I believe Microsofts position on free software is crystal clear,
though it has shifted from it being a terrible disease to 'feel free
to use free software on our platform and in our cloud' ;-)

Regards

Jan