ISO Approves OOXML

sTeF writes in, with the hope that this is an April Fools joke. Doesn't look like it though. An article up at Intellectual Property Watch claims they have obtained a document (PDF) enumerating the vote after Microsoft's OOXML won ISO standard status.

Abandon All Hope

[Anonymous Coward]

Ye Who Code This Standard!

Re:Support Needed.

[mrbluze]

Broad? I think they mispelled bold faced fraud.

Or maybe they won the support by supplying extremely broad broads, or something similarly corrupt.

oh yea

[play with my balls]

I'd let the ISO nestle it's balls in my mouth.

Thank God

[Mateo_LeFou]

I've had so many clients asking if I can scrape data from their legacy lockinware. Now I can confidently say "Yes" and bill them for the 1400 hours it takes to read this spec.

Thank you MS!

Re:Support Needed.

[nuzak]

> I think they mispelled bold faced fraud.

Perhaps their OOXML formatters have problems with boldface, and that's just how it rendered.

Re:Good. Now at least we know where the filth is

[loafula]

so, basically microsoft is like hillary clinton?

Re:Why no April Fools Today.

[Dr. Eggman]

But, there is an April Fools joke today on Slashdot! It's just subtle. Check your 'Foes' list and you'll see every editor has been added to it.

Re:Support Needed.

[Anonymous Coward]

No, they misspelled bribe.

Re:Does anybody else...

[Creepy Crawler]

That is because Microsoft's implementation is not 100% OOXML compatible.

Re:Support Needed.

[ShieldW0lf]

ISO... ISO... aren't they that defunct organization in Switzerland, the one that used to represent standards before they got into the advertising business and disappeared?

Re:pyhrric

[Anonymous Coward]

It's part of Microsoft's master plan to force OpenOffice to become a big, bloated, unmaintainable blob of code.

Its true

[javilon]

Even the KDE foundation voted [kde.org] for it !!!

Re:Possible Tags?

[teh moges]

omgponieslikeinoffice97 ?

Re:pyhrric

[Adaptux]

they won the ISO process then they lost as it forced a deep examination of the standard, and raised critical questions and caused them more problems then it solved.

Microsoft has a legitimate business interest to be seen as the leader in office document formats, and this interest is best served by participating in the ISO/IEC processes for refining and improving OOXML in good faith and with an active desire to resolve the issues that are raised.

While I am highly critical of all national standardization organization officials who have contributed to allowing Microsoft push OOXML through via the "fast track" which IMO has proved to be clearly inappropriate, I'm really getting the impression that there is a tendency of seeing Microsoft primarily as an enemy which is getting in the way of our abvility to see reality as it is. I can personally testify that at the BRM and since then, Microsoft has shown every indication of willingness for the known technical shortcomings of OOXML to be corrected, and since I believe that it is in Microsoft's best interest to continue in this direction, I currently see no reason not to believe the Microsoft people that I have been communicating with when they indicate that it is Microsoft's intention to continue with this bona-fide cooperative stance regarding OOXML.

Re:Why no April Fools Today.

[artanis00]

I already had all the editors on my Foes list, you insensitive clod!

Re:good

[MrKaos]

Using "M$" instead of Microsoft makes you look like a seething idiot.

Get over it dood, it's an accepted standard moniker when refering to Microsoft, and we have to accept standards even when we don't like them.

Re:Support Needed.

[sxeraverx]

Yes, and people voted for Bush. The second time around.

Re:Do they not know their own rules?

[KwKSilver]

The rules? Haven't you heard of the Golden Rule: "He who had the gold makes the rules!" This is the "new and improved" ISO, aptly described by someone at Groklaw:

I = I
S = Sold
O = Out

Re:Support Needed.

[supernova_hq]

Or perhaps bank account numbers they recognize that no longer point to a few million dollars, if you catch my drift.

Re:Support Needed.

[chrish]

The quality management systems one is ISO 9000.

You need to review your process.