Microsoft and Competitors Continue to Waste Resources on OOXML

Unfortunately, despite the April 2 press release from the International Standards Organization [ISO] reporting that the ECMA/Microsoft (MSFT) standard for document formats, popularly known as OOXML, has been voted in, we now start a 60-day period when appeals can be filed. After one is filed (is there any doubt?), the appeals process can go on for many additional months, and through four levels of the ISO.

What are typical grounds (quoting from ISO rules):

11.1.2 A P-member of JTC 1 or an SC may appeal against any action, or inaction, on the part of JTC 1 or an SC when the P-member considers that such action or inaction is:
• Not in accordance with these directives; or
• Not in the best interests of international trade and commerce, or such public factors as safety, health or environment.
11.1.3 Matters under appeal may be either technical or administrative in nature. Appeals on decisions concerning NPs, CDs and DISs are only eligible for consideration if:
• Questions of principle are involved;
• The contents of a draft may be detrimental to the reputation of IEC or ISO; or
• The point giving rise to objection was not known to JTC 1 or SC during earlier discussions.

Does all this hogwash in bold sound familiar? Were Google's (GOOG), IBM's (IBM), Red Hat's (RHT) and Sun's (JAVA) executives and lawyers building the record for appeal all along with their rabble rousing of the blogosphere?

What a collosal waste for shareholders for all companies concerned.

Comments

[SingHash]

"a colossal waste" indeed: MSXML (aka OOXML) itself is destined to be a colossal waste of money for absolutely everybody including Microsoft, which has squandered its own resources as well as those of countless others who have taken a stand against the idiocy of a soi-disant "standard" which cannot be implemented and is -- at best -- a sorely flawed replication of an existing standard (ODF) that has already proven itself.

I've read parts of the standard (not all 6000+ pages, I'm afraid), and the detractors have a valid point: it reads like it's written by software engineers pretending to be lawyers -- or vice versa.

[Dennis Byron]

Just to be clear (see my previous posts on this subject), I believe Microsoft is wasting resources on this issue as well. The headline implies I was only criticizing IBM, Sun and so forth.

-- Dennis Byron

[SingHash]

Amen. Apologies that I haven't come across your previous posts on the topic. Cheers.

[steveballmer]

OOXML is going to surprise all of you nay sayers!