MS-OOXML: A Format Without a Future?

Aug 05, 2008, 17:30 (1 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Richard Hillesley)

[ Thanks to An Anonymous Reader for this link. ]

"But that isn't the whole story. Judged by its technical merits, or common standards of interoperability and usefulness, OOXML is a dead duck. But Microsoft is first and foremost a successful marketing organisation with a long reach into government circles. For instance, in January 2003 the British government chose to make Bill Gates, who is neither a citizen nor a resident of the United Kingdom, an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of his "services to global enterprise" and his "outstanding contribution to enterprise, employment, education and the voluntary sector in the UK" - despite the fact that at that time Microsoft was the subject of a long-standing investigation by the European Commission for monopolistic and anti-competitive practices, and had already been found guilty of similar practices in the US."

Complete Story

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• How "Ignorant of Standards" Was Microsoft Really?(Jun 27, 2008)
• ISO Puts Standard for Microsoft's OOXML Document Formats on Hold(Jun 11, 2008)