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Microsoft suffers Open XML defeat
IBM has succeeded to derail Microsoft's efforts to fast-track the Office Open XML standard to ISO certification.
In the first round of ISO votes, Microsoft failed to meet both a required 66.66 per cent of the nation votes and couldn't avoid more than 25 per cent "no" votes. Only 53 per cent of the votes favored the proposal, and 26 per cent opposed.
Not all has been lost for Microsoft, although the firm has suffered a humiliating defeat. At a meeting in February next year, Microsoft can attempt to meet some of the objections and turn around the no-votes.
If no compromised can be reached, Microsoft can still submit OOXML through a (more time consuming) regular procedure.
Either way, IBM, Sun and especially OpenOffice come out looking at the big victors. There is some serious doubt that Microsoft OOXML will ever make it to the "open standard" stage (emphasis on doubt).
Organizations looking for an open format therefore will be guided towards ODF, which is supported in OpenOffice.
Microsoft also could concede, abandon OOXML and line up behind ODF instead. While that would eliminate a major advantage for OpenOffice and ODF, at least it would rob Microsoft from the hold that it currently has over the document formats of the world.
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