Geneva (Switzerland) – The ISO standardization of Microsoft OOXML file format already looked like a done deal to many. But Microsoft has lost a key vote which would have allowed the fast-track approval to proceed and the company is back to the drawing board.

The lost vote isn't quite a disaster yet for Microsoft, as there are more opportunities to get Open Office XML standardized. However, the result serves as an indication on the current chances of the format to be cleared by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

According to a press release issued today, OOXML received 53 % of votes cast by national bodies participating in ISO/IEC JTC 1 being positive and 26% votes cast being negative. An approval for the publication of the OOXML draft standard, officially referred to as ISO/IEC DIS 29500, would have required Microsoft to receive at least 66.66% of positive votes and not more than 25% of negative votes.

Comments that accompanied the votes will be discussed at a ballot resolution meeting next February.

The goal of this meeting is to determine whether a consensus on possible modifications to the proposed document can be achieved. Negative votes can be withdrawn and positive votes can be added following this meeting, which would enable the standard to proceed to publication. If no sufficient consensus can be achieved, the proposal will have failed and the fast-track procedure will be terminated.

If Microsoft does not meet the requirements of both at least 66.66% of positive votes and a maximum of 25% of negative votes, the company will have to re-submit OOXML under the normal ISO/IEC standards development rules.

Their fundamental failure...

Sep 04, 2007 18:34     

was not enough votes bought. Some of their VARs are slacking.
jhansonxi report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Why Pay for M$ Office, Open Office is just as good

Sep 04, 2007 19:39     

There is only so much you can do with a word processor. The new Open Office reviews are in, and if the average person needs office apps, it is compatible with Office 2007 and it is free. M$ just wants to control the standards cuz thats where they make the most of their money.
John report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

open office vs office2k7

Sep 04, 2007 23:13     

I used open office when my only alternative up to this year was office 2000 but once i bought 2k7 i was much impressed by the difference between the two. you may say that there are only minor differnces, but when you use the program for 5 or so hours 5 days a week, you tend to get very irritated with minor flaws and problems or things that aren't quite as useful. I find that the office 2k7 is much stronger product and was worth money to spend on when using it at this level. If i was only using the package a few times a week then i'd have stayed on open office but the time i save by spending the money has already paid for itself. Of course im sure the niggling faults would be relitively easy to fix and upcoming patches will probably do that, however by then, there is a possibility that office has then furthered itself and integrated more into its suite. If nothing else, for someone like me, OOo is a program that will constantly push MS Office to do a better job which is what good competition should do.

Skythra report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Hate for hate's sake is stupid

Sep 05, 2007 00:27     

The XML format is perfectly fine, and I really like it. And Open Office is not just as good. I've tried it, and it's good, for open source. It just lacks the polish and intuitiveness that MS Office has. Sure, no bloatware and yadda yadda, but Office 2007 delivers the superior product for me. I mean just comparing filesizes is amazing.
West report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Never a M$ product as a standard

Sep 05, 2007 03:06     

M$ has produced such rubbish since they were founded and killed the competition in every field, it would be wise to never accept a M$ born standard. Better still, the EU should make it law to force companies NOT to use any M$ products and deny any internet service to computers that run on M$ O/S. Long live Old Europe....can I have my French Fries now?
M-Theory report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

ODF is a better international standard

Sep 05, 2007 09:36     

This discussion is not about whether Open Office or Office 2007 is a better product. This discussion is about whether Open XML or ODF is a better file format to fill the needs of the international community as a reliable, universal and platform independent format. The technical committees have found Open XML to be severely lacking. Meanwhile ODF is already approved as an ISO standard. There is no reason why Microsoft can't use the ODF file format in their Office suite, since the source code is freely available. The only reason they don't is that they prefer to push their own format as a standard, so they can break other programs and make them look bad if those don't support all the proprietary extentions for their so-called "standard" file format.

Patrick report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0