Microsoft’s Behavior in OOXML Proceedings to Undergo Investigation by EU Commission
The EU Commission is looking to investigate whether Microsoft illegally attempted to influence the standardization process for its own OOXML document format.
Prior to the vote by the ISO standardization authority in the fall of 2007 various irregularities were observed (and reported by Linux Magazine). In the months leading up to the vote, Microsoft resellers and other allies of the corporation joined the ranks of some committees eligible to vote. In Italy, for example, the voting committee grew from four to 85 members in a short time. In Portugal, twelve new members joined the committee shortly before the vote. The Wall Street Journal monitored the process very closely at the time, now the magazine reports that the EU Commission will be investigating the procedure in the near future. According to "well-informed circles" the regulatory authority will be investigating whether ob Microsoft illegally attempted to influence national committees during the voting phase of the ISO standardization process.
The investigation will be part of newly launched anti-trust action by the EU Commission concerning Microsoft’s behavior towards competitors. The EU regulators will be investigating the integration of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser in its Office and Windows products, and attempting to ascertain the extent to which Microsoft products support interoperability with third-party products. The incidents leading up to the ISO standardization vote will be the third area of interaction between the software giant and its competitors that the regulators will be looking into.
Despite the lobbying, Microsoft’s document format failed to take the first vote on the ISO organization’s fast track. Following the vote, national standardization committees have submitted over 3,500 comments on the file format which the software company can evaluate for remedial action. The ECMA proposals have been available for commenting since mid-January; voting members will decide on OOXML standardization, ISO/IEC DIS 29500, at the end of February.
Issue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.