[odf-discuss] FFII opposes Fasttrack adoption of Microsoft OOXML format as ISO standard

[Alberto Barrionuevo]

Hi,

Comments sent to US standardization body:
http://www.incits.org/DIS29500/DIS29500.htm

Btw, original FFII press release in English, Spanish and Portuguese:
http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/FFII_opposes_Fasttrack_adoption_of_Microsoft_OOXML_format_as_ISO_standard
http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/FFII_opposes_Fasttrack_adoption_of_Microsoft_OOXML_format_as_ISO_standard_-ES-
http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/FFII_opposes_Fasttrack_adoption_of_Microsoft_OOXML_format_as_ISO_standard_-PT-

Letter sent to ISO national bodies:
http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/FFII_opposes_Fasttrack_adoption_of_Microsoft_OOXML_format_as_ISO_standard?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=fax-PR-MSOOXML-070124.pdf

Saludos,
   Alberto.



El lun, 29-01-2007 a las 18:16 +0100, Pete Harlow escribió:
> >From http://lwn.net/Articles/219520/
> 
> 
> From:
>  
> Jonas Maebe
> <jmaebe-AT-ffii.org>
> To:
>  
> news-AT-ffii.org
> Subject:
>  
> [ffii] FFII opposes
> Fasttrack adoption of
> Microsoft OOXML format
> as ISO standard
> Date:
>  
> Mon, 29 Jan 2007
> 13:13:14 +0100
> PRESS RELEASE -- [ Europe / Economy / ICT ]
> 
> ========================================================================
> FFII opposes Fasttrack adoption of Microsoft OOXML format as ISO
> standard
> 
> ========================================================================
> 
> Brussels, 29 January 2006 -- The FFII has sent an open letter to all 
> delegations of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) to 
> 
> oppose with contradictions the "fast track" adoption of the Microsoft's 
> 6000-page OOXML specification (ECMA-376) before the deadline of 
> February, 5th. Microsoft's proposal damages the adoption of the existing 
> 
> ISO 26300 standard (OpenDocument) that covers almost the same 
> functionality in just 600 pages.
> 
> The FFII has several concerns with the proposed standard. OpenXML relies 
> on undisclosed patents, and undisclosed or incomplete licensing terms 
> 
> that make any independent reimplementation impossible or heavily risky. 
> It obliges implementors to reverse-engineer the behavior of old closed 
> Microsoft applications and formats. It uses non-standard formats for 
> 
> languages and dates, and specifies known bugs, such as treating 1900 as 
> a leap year.
> 
> Benjamin Henrion, FFII analyst, explains: "Microsoft is pushing through 
> a overcomplex proposal in a very short time frame. The fast-track 
> 
> procedure was never intended for specifications of this size and 
> artificial complexity. It seems clear that the pressure is on ISO to not 
> look too closely at the many traps in OOXML, which include patent 
> minefields that will allow Microsoft to strictly control who implements 
> 
> this. Microsoft tried to introduce its patents into international 
> standards before, resulting in the failure of an anti-spam standard."
> 
> Multiple associations, companies and bloggers who have looked at OOXML 
> 
> describe it as a "single vendor standard", since large parts of the 
> standard simply refer to application behavior, not technical 
> specifications. Examples include the option to enable "WordPerfect text 
> 
> alignment".
> 
> OOXML was produced in one year by Microsoft alone and ratified as 
> ECMA-376 by ECMA, a private association that drafts standards on demand. 
> It is via ECMA that Microsoft has been able to push for a fast-track 
> 
> procedure at ISO/IEC. By comparison, the Open Document Format ISO 
> standard took 5 years of work through ISO/IEC and OASIS and counts with 
> multiple implementation covering all the main platforms (Symbian, 
> Windows, Linux, Mac OS, BSDs and Solaris). In contrast, Microsoft's 
> 
> format has no any implementation in market currently, and in medium 
> terms it is expected to cover only the Microsoft platform.
> 
> Alberto Barrionuevo, FFII Vice-President, concludes: "We ask all ISO 
> delegations to cancel the fast-track procedure. It is simply impossible 
> 
> to clarify all the issues and contradictions existing in ECMA-376 within 
> such a short fast-track time frame. Indeed, this standards-stuffing 
> attempt undermines the entire credibility of the ISO/IEC process. If 
> 
> Microsoft can buy a single-vendor 'standard' with impunity, what is ISO 
> for?"
> 
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