"Microsoft's standard-bearer for the Open Office XML (OOXML) format faces a tight deadline if it wants to keep the application on the fast track.
"Ecma International, which submitted the file format for approval by the International Standards Organization (ISO) on Microsoft's behalf last December, has until Feb. 28 to respond to comments made by the standards boards of 19 different countries.
"Ecma, which helps develop and publish technology standards, will also have to change a lot of voters' minds. A proposed standard needs the approval of two-thirds of the voting members. The committee considering the application, the Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC1), has 30 member countries..."
