Computerworld Australia: ISO Adopts OOXML Format as
International Standard
[ Thanks to Jose_X for
this link. ]
“The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has
adopted an international standard based on Microsoft’s Office Open
XML (OOXML) document format.“The standard was approved by 86 percent of all countries
voting, and by 75 percent of those countries participating in JTC1,
the joint committee of the ISO and the International
Electrotechnical Committee that organized the vote, according to a
number of sources. To pass, it required the approval of 75 percent
of all countries voting, and 66 percent of those countries
participating in the committee, known as P-members…”
ConsortiumInfo: BRM Blowback (and ISO Press Release)
“ISO has now issued its confirmatory press release. The full
text (less boilerplate) is appended at the end of this entry. I
note with some interest that the press release includes the
following language:“Subject to there being no formal appeals from ISO/IEC national
bodies in the next two months, the International Standard will
accordingly proceed to publication…”
InfoWorld: Microsoft’s ISO Win May Worsen its Antitrust
Woes
“Microsoft may have won a year-long quest to make its OOXML
(Office Open XML) document format an ISO-recognized international
standard, but claims of foul play in the voting process may come
back to haunt the software giant when the European Commission
concludes its latest antitrust investigation of Microsoft’s
business practices.“When the Commission, Europe’s top antitrust authority, opened a
probe into Microsoft’s business practices in January, it said part
of the investigation would examine whether OOXML, as the format is
known, is ‘sufficiently interoperable with competitors’
products…'”