[odf-discuss] Ecma Approves Office Open XML

[Alex Hudson]

Daniel Carrera wrote:
> On Fri, 2006-08-12 at 19:25 -0500, Carlos Moffat wrote:
>   
>> As for having to ISO standards for the same thing, I thought we had
>> discussed this already and the answer is: this is no problem at all. 
>>     
>
> I thought the answer was somewhere in the middle: "it's not disallowed,
> but it's harder" because you have to prove that there really is a need
> for another standard to cover the same thing.
>   

I think it's presumed that there has to be a specific need for a
different standard. For example, there are a ton of different standards
for power connectors: not because different people like their own
connectors, but because you really do need a different tool in different
circumstances. Even the humble C13 IEC connector - often called the
'kettle lead'  - has a similar, but incompatible cousin (actually, it's
compatible one way), and it's also an IEC standard.

The interesting wrinkle with OpenXML is that Ecma TC45 doesn't assume
maintainership of OpenXML unless it's adopted by ISO.

-- 
Alex Hudson
IT Director, Stratagia Ltd.
P: 0845 226 17 13     W: http://www.stratagia.co.uk/
F: 0845 226 17 14     E: alex (at) stratagia.co.uk