[Random-bits] The Register on the OOXML ISO vote

[James Love]

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/03/31/iso_ooxml_votes_approve/

OOXML approved as international standard?
By Kelly Fiveash

31 Mar 2008 10:37
But voting process slammed


Microsoft looks almost certain to have got its Office Open XML (OOXML)
file format passed as an international standard but the ballot has been
tarnished by accusations of voting irregularities.

There’s no official word as yet from the International Standards
Organisation (ISO), the body responsible for overseeing the ballot, but
according to many observers that have been closely following the
process, Microsoft appears to have secured enough votes at its second
time of trying.

However, a number of delegates from the 87 national standards groups
have been loudly complaining about alleged heavy-handed tactics and
misdeeds in the voting process.

Groklaw reports grumbles coming out of Norway and Poland where claims of
irregularities have been voiced and there’s been talk of very close
votes in Croatia and Germany.

Norway has reversed its vote, now coming out in favour of OOXML. Geir
Isene wrote on his blog about the Norwegian Standards Institute’s
meeting last week in which they agreed to make the U-turn.

"The meeting: 27 people in the room, four of which were administrative
staff from Standard Norge. The outcome: Of the 24 members attending, 19
disapproved, five approved.

"The result: The administrative staff decided that Norway wants to
approve OOXML as an ISO standard," he said.

Meanwhile, the British Standards Institute (BSI) is another high profile
national standards body that has changed its position and agreed to
approve OOXML, or DIS 29500 after voting against it in September last
year.

Late last week Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh tabled a question in the
House of Commons on the BSI's stance on OOXML.

Microsoft needs to bag two thirds of the votes to see OOXML recognised
as a standard alongside competing file format Open Document Format (ODF)
which was endorsed by the ISO last year.

The ballot closed at midnight on Saturday and followed a resolution
meeting in February in which delegates were given the opportunity to
review comments about adjusting their position on adopting the file
format as a standard.

Last autumn OOXML, which was first rubber-stamped by Ecma International,
failed to secure approval.

The ISO said it will make an official announcement either later today or
early tomorrow morning.


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_____________________________
James Love, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
http://www.keionline.org, mailto:james.love@keionline.org
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