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Tom Potts wrote: > WTF!!! > see last message > Tom te tom te tom > <snip> > Dear Graham > > Thank you for your mail and my apologies for the extended delay in replying > to your constituent's enquiry. > > Microsoft was asked by the EU to submit its file formats to a recognised > standards body: which it has now done. We recognise many customers and > partners would prefer the Microsoft Office file formats to be under > independent, standards maintenance than under Microsoft's. We have listened > to and responded to these requests. The Open XML file format is no longer > owned or controlled by Microsoft. It has been adopted as an open > international standard by Ecma International. > Hmm, that's debateable about it being open. Isn't Office 2007 not actually written to be fully compatible with the OpenXML file format standard that has been pushed as a standard? > Ecma International has now submitted Open XML to ISO and it is currently > being reviewed by national standards bodies who will decide whether it > should become an ISO standard. In the UK, important organisations such as > the British Library, have supported Open XML becoming an independent > standard: precisely because it means the file format will be open and under > independent standards control, not that of Microsoft. More recently, > independent reports have indicated that Open XML is a rich file format (see > for example the Burton Group report at > http://www.burtongroup.com/Guest/Ccs/WhatsUpDoc.aspx (free registration > required). The information contained in this report is extremely supportive > of the quality of the Open XML standard, the technical superiority of Open > XML compared to other document file formats and its growing adoption in both > the public and private sectors. > Ahh would that be the report which is talked about here? http://boycottnovell.com/2008/01/14/burton-group-ooxml-puppet-microsoft/ > Open XML has already proved to be widely portable - with versions available > now for Mac, Linux and for competing office suites such as Open Office. This > is enabling competitors to provide their own alternatives to Microsoft > products, but to use an interoperable file format, namely Open XML. Hmm, isn't OOXML available for the Novell fork of OpenOffice.org? I was under the impression that full (okay, full if they can decipher the 6000 odd page standards document and keep up with Microsoft moving the goalposts) OOXML support isn't going to be available until the release of OOo 3.0 around September time? <snip> > In terms of how Open XML has been scrutinised by ISO, it in fact received > more outright yes votes than ODF did when it was standardised by ISO. > However it was blocked from acceptance as an ISO standard in the first round > of voting. This process is continuing, with a meeting of ISO at the end of > February and then a final round of voting in March. > Hmmm... well I'm sure we've all been keeping up with what has been happening with the ISO votes. > If you have any further queries, I'd be happy to meet to discuss them. > What are the chances of discussing this with someone at Microsoft without them spouting the usual FUD? Rob -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html