[ossig] Microsoft stumbles in Open XML standards vote - Software - News - ZDNet Asia

[NP Lee]

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62031814,00.htm?scid=nl_z_ntnd

*Microsoft stumbles in Open XML standards vote*
By Martin LaMonica 
<mailto:zdnews-asia at cnet.com&Subject=Feedback%20on%20%27Microsoft%20stumbles%20in%20Open%20XML%20standards%20vote%27>, 
CNET News.com
Wednesday, September 05 2007 09:55 AM

*Microsoft has failed in its initial effort to standardize its Office 
document file format.*

The company was attempting to standardize its Office Open XML document 
formats through a "fast track" process at the International Organization 
for Standardization.

Advertisement

The draft standard "has not achieved the required number of votes" 
according to a statement issued by the ISO on Tuesday. The voting 
process ended on Sunday.

A tally indicates that Open XML did not get the two-thirds majority 
needed from "participating" ISO members.

The closely watched vote has been marked by intense lobbying and 
politicking among Microsoft supporters and rivals. Microsoft is seeking 
a standards body's recognition of its document formats in an effort of 
allay fears among businesses and governments that its products are 
proprietary.

Some worry that a document format controlled by Microsoft 
<http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62030685,00.htm>, as 
opposed to a standards body, could make it difficult for organizations 
to exchange data or to access older data at a later date.

Despite the setback for Microsoft, this is not the end of the line for 
the Office Open XML standards effort 
<http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62026836,00.htm>, 
according to people familiar with the process.

In the next phase of the process, managers of the Office Open XML 
specification will address technical comments that were attached to the 
votes. Microsoft can modify and resubmit its proposal. That process is 
expected to begin in February of next year in Geneva, according to the ISO.

If Microsoft's reworked proposal does not satisfy ISO members on its 
next submission, "the proposal will have failed and this fast-track 
procedure will be terminated," according to the ISO.

Microsoft on Tuesday issued a statement saying that 74 percent of 
participants in the ISO vote "supported" ratification of Open XML.

"This preliminary vote is a milestone for the widespread adoption of the 
Open XML formats around the world for the benefit of millions of 
customers. Given how encouraging today's results were, we believe that 
the final tally in early 2008 will result in the ratification of Open 
XML as an ISO standard," Tom Robertson, Microsoft's general manager for 
standards and interoperabilty, said in a statement.

Attorney Andrew Updegrove, a standards expert and supporter of the rival 
OpenDocument standard, interpreted Microsoft's statement as an "oblique 
confirmation" that the vote failed to get the necessary votes to be 
approved.

The lobbying group Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), 
which supports Open XML ISO ratification, on Tuesday said the ISO vote 
tally is a setback but not the final word on the Office Open XML 
standards effort.

"CompTIA remains disappointed but not disheartened with today's news of 
Sunday's ISO vote tally," said Hugo Lueders, group director of EU public 
policy for CompTIA.

/This article was first published as a blog./


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mncc.com.my/pipermail/ossig_mncc.com.my/attachments/20070905/7faaf3e1/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: advertisement.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 140 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mncc.com.my/pipermail/ossig_mncc.com.my/attachments/20070905/7faaf3e1/attachment.gif