OOXML Documentation: ISO Concerned
The International Standards Organization (ISO) is up in arms over the fact that documentation for Microsoft's OOXML data format is now publicly available on the Internet. Meanwhile, ISO members are nervously watching IBM's behavior in the standardization process.
Activists in the Boycott Novell forum have exposed the more than 5,500 page document in PDF, HTML, Microsoft spreadsheet, and various other formats on their website. Even though OOXML was certified as an ISO standard under turbulent and unsteady circumstances, ISO has been keeping the comprehensive documentation under wraps. The Boycott Novell activists describe the documentation exposure as a reaction to the "systematic abuse and the demise of ISO." Alex Brown, who was partly responsible for the OOXML process at ISO, describes the exposure in his weblog as a "brazen act of copyright violation."
Brown goes on to say that "the boobies have even been so good as to boast about the bandwidth requirements their crimes have occasioned" and ends with the words, "Even now, I can hear those Geneva lawyers licking their lips over this one..." Boycott Novell webmaster Roy Schestovitz is not fazed by the possible legalities. He adds, "Feel free to pass around (or even ridicule) those ~60 megabytes of lock-in, which Microsoft won't let you see." He is not alone in this opinion: the numerous ongoing updates are tagged with the authors’ names.
The website contributors also point to IBM's recent "provocative call" for ISO "to do better," with IBM challenging their participation in the process (reported here). Brown, in another blog, considers IBM's call a threat and questions whether they purposely pulled their staff from the SC 34 committee meetings on Jeju Island in Korea. Quote: the "IBM people are certainly conspicuous here by their total absence." In response, IBM's Bob Weir indicates in his own blog that that their attendance record shouldn't be a surprise in that it was always based on availability due to meeting location. Rather as proof of their growing commitment he adds, "to put it in perspective, the US SC 34 shadow committee currently has around 20 members. Before Microsoft stuffed it we had around 7."
During the meeting in Korea the ISO committee also declared further support for the ODF format. The Groklaw legal forum, which also documented the ISO proceedings, considers the SC 34 committee decision "a takeover attempt of ODF." Rob Weir considers IBM's collaboration in OASIS, the initiative behind ODF, as substantial. He writes, "Despite Microsoft's successful attempt to stuff SC34, as they did NB's around the world, participation from IBM remains in the range of 0 to 2 participants. I'd be hard pressed to justify the expense of any greater attendance. The real work on ODF goes on in OASIS. That's where we put our people...."
The unrest surrounding the OOXML certification by the standards body in Switzerlandhas still not reached an end. IBM's reaction to the standards comes just days after some national delegates declared establishing their own standards. The Norwegian delegationpulled more than half its members, and the EU Commission's investigation into Microsoft's comportment is still inconclusive.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Gnome 47.2 Now Available
Gnome 47.2 is now available for general use but don't expect much in the way of newness, as this is all about improvements and bug fixes.
-
Latest Cinnamon Desktop Releases with a Bold New Look
Just in time for the holidays, the developer of the Cinnamon desktop has shipped a new release to help spice up your eggnog with new features and a new look.
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.
Th supposed MSOOXML standard
Well talk about not so open open ISO standard.
I do not know about you but the ISO group needs to transparent as clear glass, and everything that happens behind closed dorrs needs to be known to the public. Really I think that ISO needs to be radically changed to a more credible open viewing and voting standard. Voted on by the public and by businesses. That there then will be truly open to everyone and everything for the betterment of the people and businesses.
it is sad
might as well leak toilet tissue. that's all it is good for anyway.
ISO should be sued for fraud with respect to OOXML
I also wonder if breaching of ISO's rules about publishing OOXML is a move by ISO Microsoft stooges to block other vendors getting information that may allow then to make a start at implementing OOXML and thereby give Microsoft an additional head start on top of the head start that OOXML's undocumented behaviours (known only to Microsoft) and patent lock-ins to allow Microsoft monopoly control (which ISO is not supposed to allow). Another anti-trust violation by both Microsoft and ISO (ISO itself is a standards monopoly and must therefore come under anti-trust regulation) for the EU to investigate.
ooxml
I may be stupid, but is this insane!!!
ooxml... pah!!
odf wins hands down.
Links not allowed?
It's an All-Out War