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Sunday 5 October 2008, 10:36 PM
ISO's OOXML committee in ODF takeover bid?
The standards world continues to surprise us - this time with what has been described as a "coup". Those in charge of OOXML are, we are told, actually trying to take over the rival ODF standard.
It's all a bit opaque, but the OOXML standard from Microsoft is maintained by a committee set up by ISO/IEC. called SC34. This is the group tasked with fixing flaws in OOXML, that remained following the Ballot Resolution Meeting, despite OOXML's enshrinement as ISO/IEC 29500:2008.
This committee has now - if I understand it right - offered to help Oasis, the source of the rival ODF standard (accepted as ISO/IEC 26300: 2006) to maintain that standard too.
Is that a good idea? Well, Pamela Jones at Groklaw doesn't think so. Eight of SC34's 19 members are Microsoft employees, and two are from ECMA. And Oasis already has a group maintaining the standard, she points out.
"Considering that ODF is already in use around the world, and OOXML is still being pulled together into a workable shape, why would ODF leave OASIS and go to the home of a "standard" that isn't done yet?" asks Jones' "logical brain".
I'm sure I'll hear other answers on this, too.
And indeed I have: There is another, and very interesting, viewpoint within ISO, which I'll be posting here later today.
It's all a bit opaque, but the OOXML standard from Microsoft is maintained by a committee set up by ISO/IEC. called SC34. This is the group tasked with fixing flaws in OOXML, that remained following the Ballot Resolution Meeting, despite OOXML's enshrinement as ISO/IEC 29500:2008.
This committee has now - if I understand it right - offered to help Oasis, the source of the rival ODF standard (accepted as ISO/IEC 26300: 2006) to maintain that standard too.
Is that a good idea? Well, Pamela Jones at Groklaw doesn't think so. Eight of SC34's 19 members are Microsoft employees, and two are from ECMA. And Oasis already has a group maintaining the standard, she points out.
"Considering that ODF is already in use around the world, and OOXML is still being pulled together into a workable shape, why would ODF leave OASIS and go to the home of a "standard" that isn't done yet?" asks Jones' "logical brain".
I'm sure I'll hear other answers on this, too.
And indeed I have: There is another, and very interesting, viewpoint within ISO, which I'll be posting here later today.
PreviousComments on this post
I thought I had heard it all, but this takes the cake. Causes one to wonder to what depth will Microsoft sink to have their way?
This can only be described as bizarre. But beware, it seems to me that it is the most bizarre things which actually do come to pass, especially when you are talking about bloated, opaque, byzantine bureaucracies. Talk about asking the wolves to watch over the sheep...
jw
