05.07.08
Verdict: Microsoft’s OOXML is Not a Standard
So says the definition of a standard
Rob Weir has taken a look at some semantics and considered again what it is that the world calls a “standard”:
So, it is a document, a written description, not an embodiment in the form of a product, that is standardized. Its aims are the “achievement of optimum degree of order” and “promotion of optimum community benefits”, and it is achieved through consensus and consolidation.
Unless this consensus is allowed to be ‘bought’ by a pack of coercing partners (sub-sub-population), that last condition is not met by OOXML.
Unless OOXML does not contain Microsoft-specific (Office- and Windows-specific) elements, that first condition cannot be met, either.
As for that bit in the middle, unless by “community” we refer to an isolated ecosystem (some government delegates might even say a "cult"), OOXML is none of the above.
OOXML is, to summarise it all, the antithesis of standards. It was called “Greatest Scam of Computing History” and the process surrounding it called “Brutal and Corrupt”. OOXML can still be yanked by ISO while the its ‘sibling’, the BSI, is already being sued. This is far from over. ISO should do the right thing. █
AlexH said,
May 7, 2008 at 10:01 am
Further OOXML news from Sun / the OOo community today:
http://marketing.openoffice.org/3.0/featurelistbeta.html
OOo has gained native support for OOXML (these are _not_ the XSLT filters, but completely new code).
Interesting that they tout support for ISO PDF, but there is no similar ISO ODF checkbox (given my last comment about it being nice if you could make OOo output ISO-standard ODF – ODF 1.2, which is what this version outputs, isn’t even an OASIS standard yet, let alone an ISO one…)
AlexH said,
May 7, 2008 at 10:15 am
Having looked at the software, there is actually an ODF version selector – it’s just hidden away in the options
So I take that comment back partly, you can at least force OOo to save in the standard format. It just doesn’t do it by default, they don’t advertise it and it’s not as easy to get to. Hrm.
Xanadu said,
May 7, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Retail OOo allows me to save in ODF just fine.
–
It is amazing MSOOXML has just failed the definition of standard in every single possible way, right now it is not even a document…
Xanadu said,
May 7, 2008 at 2:42 pm
still filters.
Roy Schestowitz said,
May 7, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Alex,
Why do you insist that OOo does OOXML? See http://lodahl.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-openofficeorg-support-ooxml.html
Sideshow-Bob said,
May 7, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Because it will! To be specific the beta already does.
Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a possible incarnation of known (eet), pseudonymous, forever-nymshifting, abusive Internet troll that posts from open proxies and relays around the world.
Sideshow-Bob said,
May 7, 2008 at 11:52 pm
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080507-first-look-openoffice-org-3-0-beta-a-big-step-forward.html
Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a possible incarnation of known (eet), pseudonymous, forever-nymshifting, abusive Internet troll that posts from open proxies and relays around the world.
Roy Schestowitz said,
May 7, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Yes, I know, and it has importers which are not new. It’s all predictable (been known for many months).
Roy Schestowitz said,
May 8, 2008 at 6:47 am
Note: I’ve just checked the IPs of “Sideshow-Bob” and “Sidehow-Bob” — an identity that showed up shortly after eet’s last morph. It’s definitely him. Changing E-mail addresses twice with the very same IPs (eet’s IPs). You’re becoming too predictable, eet.