The Proliferation of Linux

In an interview with Ars Technica, Bob Sutor, IBM’s vice president of open source and standards, reveals that he believes that Microsoft’s OOXML format will die off, regardless of the outcome of the ISO appeals process.

He is convinced that the industry will regard OOXML as a dead end, and that will force Microsoft to accept ODF. We have already seen some evidence of this in Microsoft’s recent decision to support ODF in Office—a change of heart that was precipitated by pressure from ODF adopters. Sutor suspects that this trend will continue and that Microsoft will eventually fully embrace ODF.

Ars Technica

ISO has responded to the appeal launched against OOXML standardisation.  In essence ISO says that there is no grounds for appeal and that the process was just fine and dandy.

1. All judgments made during the course of the process were appropriately made under the Directives
2. The fact that the BRM voted on all proposed resolutions in some fashion satisfies the Directives
3. The fact that a sufficient percentage of National Bodies (NBs) ultimately voted to approve DIS 29500 ratifies the process and any flaws in that process
4. Many objections, regardless of their merits, are irrelevant to the appeals process

Groklaw & ConsortiumInfo.org [via Slashdot]

I missed this last week, Venezuala has joined Brazil, South Africa and India in the opposition of OOXML.

Although the deadline for appealing the March 29 decision was to be within two months, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have reportedly accepted Venezuela’s appeal despite the fact that it was made after that time.

Denmark has also filed an appeal with the ISO, according to Computerworld Denmark, but that report could not be confirmed.

Linux Insider [via Tectonic]

Despite the deadline for appeals having already lapsed, Denmark has become the fourth country (after South Africa, Brazil and India) to appeal the OOXML decision.  The reasons cited include that ISO rules were broken, there was no consensus in Denmark, and that the Fast Track process “has been formally annulled for 2 months now - since the 29th of March, where the specification should have been sent to the national standardization organizations. The basis for a fast track procedure is no longer present, and I therefore expect ISO to pick up the case again.”

This article seems to be raising a serious question. If there is no final draft yet, and for unknown reasons there isn’t, and if Microsoft itself is not supporting OOXML yet, and it says it isn’t, how is true interoperability possible? This couldn’t be a deliberate delay game, could it? I hate to think that, but I confess this article has started me thinking in a brand new way about the delay in delivering the final draft. And since currently Microsoft isn’t supporting ODF, only promising to do so someday, where does that leave interoperability? Finally, since ODF 1.1, as I understand it, has issues with spreadsheets and accessibility that are solved in ODF 1.2, why did Microsoft choose to support the version that works less well? Is their goal really interoperability or just the appearance of a willingness to do it someday?

Groklaw has the full story, and more analysis…

Groklaw [via Slashdot]

It seems that in addition to South Africa and Brazil, India is also launching its own appeal against the standardisation of OOXML.  Looks like Microsoft is going to have a tougher time pushing OOXML through ISO than it previously thought…

The Indian appeal was not filed according to official procedure, but will be considered nonetheless.

“By the deadline last night, we had received three appeals, from Brazil, India and South Africa,” said Jonathan Buck, spokesman for IEC.

“The Indian appeal was not lodged in the correct procedure it was not send to the CEOs of the two organizations but nonetheless it has been received,” Buck said, adding that it will be treated in the same way as the Brazilian and South African appeals.

The New York Times