[A2k] OOXML fails to get approval, but ISO process continues

[Luiz F. Moncau.]

Hi all,

here in Brazil we opposed the approval of the OOXML at ABNT (our
normalization organism). Even though, it would be very helpful to receive
more information on this issue, as we never acted on this area before.

If anyone from you have some useful information, please contact me at this
e-mail, as it looks like this debate isn=C2=B4t over.

Luiz
----- Original Message -----
From: <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com>
To: "a2k discuss list" <a2k@lists.essential.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 12:40 AM
Subject: Re: [A2k] OOXML fails to get approval, but ISO process continues


> Vera and all,
>
>  Seems to me that ISO is again engaging in it's
> old long standing games by prolonging the process
> so that MS can eventually buy enough votes to get
> it's OOXML proposal approved as a standard.  I've
> been here before...
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: Vera Franz <vfranz@osieurope.org>
>>Sent: Sep 5, 2007 4:42 AM
>>To: ipr&publicdomain <ipr@soros.org>, a2k discuss list
>><a2k@lists.essential.org>
>>Subject: [A2k] OOXML fails to get approval, but ISO process continues
>>
>>[ Converted text/html to text/plain ]
>>Congratulations to FFII, Open Forum Europe and the many, many others that
>>have
>>worked on this successfully! The fight continues...
>>http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/OOXML_fails_to_get_approval%2C_but_I=
SO_process_continues[1]
>>
>>Brussels, 5 September 2007. The draft standard OOXML submitted by
>>Microsoft
>>and ECMA has been rejected in a vote at ISO, reaching neither the require=
d
>>2/3
>>majority among "participating countries" nor the required 3/4 majority
>>among
>>all countries. However, ISO decided not to finish the procedure yet, but
>>instead to go for a ballot resolution meeting in February, where Microsof=
t
>>will attempt to present solutions to the numerous problems that have been
>>pointed out. If enough countries change their vote, the proposal still ha=
s
>>a
>>chance to pass.
>>
>>Several irregularities have been reported in the ISO process. These
>>include
>>purchasing of votes in Sweden, admitted by Microsoft; rejection of
>>Microsoft's
>>competitors in Portugal because of lack of chairs; hijacking of
>>standardisation committees in many countries, including USA, Italy,
>>Colombia
>>and Mexico; manipulations of the vote process by presidencies in
>>Switzerland
>>and Uruguay; replacement of an insufficiently Microsoft-friendly technica=
l
>>committee by a "more agreeable" one in Poland; non-acceptance of
>>competition
>>in Venezuela and Ukrania; and more. In general the process has been
>>driven,
>>except in a minority of the countries, by attempts to put as many gold
>>partners as possible in the committee responsible.
>>
>>Benjamin Henrion, leader of the FFII NoOOXML.org campaign, comments: "The
>>OOXML proposal is so poor that if anyone else had submitted it they would
>>have
>>been laughed at. I don't understand why the ISO secretariat has not
>>already
>>put it in the waste basket. The continuation of the process means more
>>scandals hurting the public image of ISO."
>>
>>Alberto Barrionuevo, FFII vice president, agrees: "What is at stake is no=
t
>>so
>>much the fate of the inappropriately named 'Open XML' format, but ISO's
>>reputation. The fact that many ISO member bodies have approved of OOXML
>>due to
>>severe manipulations suggests that the process needs to be overhauled. We
>>strongly recommend that ISO reconsiders its system and regulations."
>>
>>Background Information
>>
>>Microsoft has been pushing for adoption of its Microsoft Office file
>>format as
>>an ISO standard. The format was adopted as ECMA 376, and ECMA subsequentl=
y
>>submitted it to ISO for fast-track (six-month) approval. An unprecedented
>>number of comments by ISO member bodies had been submitted in the first
>>stage
>>of the process in February 2007.
>>
>>More information, including the result of the ballot, is available in
>>http://www.NoOOXML.org/[2], FFII's web site campaign. The ballot results
>>are
>>at are at http://www.NoOOXML.org/ballotresults[3].
>>
>>See here for Open Forum Europe's press release:
>>http://www.openforumeurope.org/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&task=3Dview=
&id=3D989&Itemid=3D1[4]
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>Vera Franz
>>Program Manager
>>Information Program
>><www.soros.org/ip[5]>
>>Open Society Foundation
>>100, Cambridge Grove
>>London W6 0LE
>>phone +44 20 7031 0219
>>fax +44 20 7031 0247
>>
>>=3D=3D=3DReferences:=3D=3D=3D
>>  1.
>> http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/OOXML_fails_to_get_approval%2C_but_=
ISO_process_continues
>>  2. http://www.NoOOXML.org/
>>  3. http://www.NoOOXML.org/ballotresults
>>  4.
>> http://www.openforumeurope.org/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&task=3Dvie=
w&id=3D989&Itemid=3D1
>>  5. http://www.soros.org/ip
>>
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>
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