Microsoft guns Open XML onto ISO fast track
March 12, 2007 (Computerworld) — The International Standards Organization (ISO) agreed Saturday to put Open XML, the document format created and championed by Microsoft Corp., on a fast-track approval process that could see Open XML ratified as an international standard by August.
That’s despite lingering opposition to Open XML by several key voting countries, including some of whom whose governments are moving forward to adopt the alternative Open Document Format for Office Applications (ODF) format, which the ISO approved as a standard last year.
Hmmm… Interesting… A bit further down we discover,
Rajchel wrote that she decided to move Open XML forward after consulting with staff at the International Technology Task Force. She did not mention that the 6,000-page proposal, submitted by another standards body, Ecma International, had garnered comments and criticism from 20 out of the 30 countries sitting on the JTC-1 committee.
Hmmm… Interesting… A bit further down we discover,
When first reported in mid-February, parties opposing Open XML’s ratification had speculated that enough of the then-unrevealed comments would identify fatal “contradictions” in Open XML that would scuttle its bid for fast track approval.
Hmmm… Interesting… A bit further down we discover,
But according to a tally conducted by Computerworld in early March and based on ISO documents (download PDF), only six countries formally opposed Open XML’s fast-tracking, with another five nations showing strong doubts to the Open XML proposal in its current form.
Hmmm… Interesting… A bit further down we (are likely to) discover (before too much time has past),
Love letters from my most adoring fans suggesting without any uncertainty how, deep down inside, they too believe that the ISO standardization of the ECMA Office Open XML specification is one of the single most important events that needs to take place in the year 2007.
And with that, let the *LOVE* begin! ;-)
I'll go first
I do not agree that it needs to get approved, nor even that it should get approved. Instead, ECMA and Microsoft should sit down with OASIS and help to improve the already-approved standard for everyone's benefit. That is the ideal and best resolution of the whole affair.
@W^L+,
In a perfect world, you're right: This would be the best solution. Maybe.
I'm not convinced that attempting to "get along" or "play nicely" with potential competitors is always the best strategy. USB 2.0, Firewire: USB 2.0 came about because it had to to be able to compete. My point is simple: When competition exists, improvements are made. When there is not, while improvements are still made, it happens at a *MUCH* slower pace, mainly due to the fact that with competition you have two driving forces: customer demand (which you have regardless) and a competitive marketplace, the first being fed at an exponential rate by the second.