Microsoft OOXML standardization bid: The clock is ticking | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:59:14 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The battle over OOXML standarization is all about money and marketshare. Microsoft wants OOXML to qualify as an “open standard” so that the company can continue to sell Office into governments that see ISO as the gold standard bearer. Many of the companies that have fought publicly against OOXML gaining ISO standardization approval are hoping that failure of OOXML to get the ISO nod will give them a chance to gain more marketshare in a world where Office still runs on more than 90 percent of Windows desktops.

Tags: approval iso mary-jo odf ooxml

Posted by: garyedwards

Some thoughts on OOXML | Larsblog

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:42:06 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

What is to be done?

ISO has in a sense put itself in an awkward position here by already approving the rival OpenDocument format as an ISO standard. This makes it harder to reject OOXML, and at the same time makes it difficult to approve OOXML, since it competes with an existing ISO standard. Generally, I'm unhappy with how closely these two standards are tied to existing software. What I would really have liked to see was for OpenDocument and OOXML both to be dropped, and the two communities to sit down and work out a common agreed format that is not tied to any existing software. The Chinese UOF format, for example, might have served as the starting point for this. ODA has also been suggested. Unfortunately, this requires a political will that does not seem to be present, and so this seems unlikely for now.

Tags: approval iso microsoft msoffice odf ooxml sgml

Posted by: garyedwards

OpenDocument's feed | Diigo Group

Microsoft OOXML standardization bid: The clock is ticking | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Some thoughts on OOXML | Larsblog

What is to be done?