"I do have concerns about a Sony-controlled format becoming the standard, due to their 'content' division being long-time fans of digital restrictions management, or DRM. But I'm still glad the conflict is over. Having one standard format means all I have to do is to wait for the freedom-loving digital underground to break the copy-protection on the format so I can back up my movie purchases, and then it'll be safe to buy equipment and movies. For a while I suppose, until the next attempt to change the standard format occurs.
"The arguments over high-definition digital video standards has a salutary lesson for the world of document formats. Once the dominant owner of all document formats, the ubiquitous .DOC, .XLS and .PPT file types, Microsoft is attempting to force all computer users to standardize on their latest efforts. This new format goes by the unwieldy name of Office Open XML (OOXML). This name is so confusing that even Microsoft executives often mistakenly refer to it as 'Open Office XML,' more commonly associated with their Free Software competitor, OpenOffice..."
