[A2k] Financial Times: Microsoft loses standards vote for Windows

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

Microsoft loses standards vote for Windows

By Richard Waters in San Francisco

Published: September 5 2007 03:00 | Last updated: September 5 2007 03:00

Microsoft has failed in its initial bid to have some of the key new
technology in its latest Windows and Office software recognised as an
international standard, it emerged on Tuesday.

However, the software company claimed strong momentum for its efforts
and predicted that it would overcome the remaining hurdles by early
next year.

Microsoft is seeking recognition for the formats for documents and
spreadsheets contained in its new Office software, known as Open XML.

Winning approval is considered essential since many governments are
otherwise expected to balk at the new Microsoft technology, opting
instead for the rival ODF format, which already has international
recognition.

Though technology standard-setting efforts like this seldom attract
much public attention, Microsoft's push is seen as a vital part of its
attempt to win broad support for the latest versions of its key desktop
software products.

Also, the company's controversial international campaign to win
support, by getting supporters of its position to take part in
national-level discussions about the issue in many countries, has drawn
allegations of abuse from rivals like IBM.

The International Standards Organisation said yesterday that only 53
per cent of countries that voted on whether Microsoft's technology
should be adopted as a standard had supported the move at this stage,
short of the two-thirds majority needed.

Also, 26 per cent had voted against the plan, while under ISO rules an
initiative cannot be approved if more than 25 per cent vote against.

Microsoft will get the chance to propose changes to its application at
a meeting in February.

If those changes prove insufficient, it will be forced to follow a
slower application process that could take as long as two to three
years to complete.

Even a delay at this stage is likely to discourage governments from
moving ahead to buy new Microsoft software, claimed Marino Marcich,
managing director of the rival ODF Alliance.

However, Tom Robertson, general manager of inter-operability and
standards at Microsoft, denied that the delay would hit sales.

He claimed that the initial ISO vote was "a very positive sign of
momentum" towards ultimate support.

He said that standards bodies in some countries, such as Ireland, had
indicated their support in principle, even though they voted against at
this stage,suggesting that Microsoft will be able to achieve
itsobjective.

Microsoft's opponents, meanwhile, claim that the company will have to
make substantial changes toits application before gaining full
recognition, for instance by tying the formats less closely to its
other software.

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Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
voice +41.22.791.6727
fax +41.22.723.2988
mobile +41 76 508 0997
thiru@keionline.org