...because it has been corrupted by Microsoft

First we had Ecma in sight and we gave up all hope (see references at the bottom). But we expected ISO to do better in the face of relentless lobbying and manipulation. How wrong were we. Aside from the fact that support for a proposed standard was bought (in the form of money and 'protection') from various companies including Novell, the actual voting process was corrupted too. Yesterday we mentioned Andy's latest writeup and we also tracked fraud and described the need for a reform that OpenISO strives to deliver. For the time being, there's nothing but a complete mockery of system.

A while back I blogged about how Microsoft helped ‘recruit’ about 20 new members for the ISO SC34 committee in order to help approve it’s OOXML document format. Now it looks like that didn’t only affect the voting process for the OOXML ballot but also the entire working of the SC34 committee!

The new members that joined the committee to help out Microsoft and OOXML have apparently been neglecting to vote on the three latest standards! This resulted in not enough votes and thus canceling the entire voting process for that standard.

Since the new P members joined the committee there isn’t a single issue that could be voted. Not only did Microsoft mess up the credibility of the ISO organization, it also messed up the voting process!

If Microsoft is permitted to go ahead with its OOXML plans, there's trouble ahead. OOXML is part of a stack of lock-ins that include SOA and Sharepoint, the remainder being: XPS, HD, and Silverlight, among more.

Forbes Magazine has just published a harsh item that criticises Microsoft for its malicious plan to lock competitors outs. This article is definitely something to be aware of.

A Bold Yet Bland Plan For Communications Domination

Note to Bill Gates: You're known for crushing competitors mercilessly. Your chief executive, Steve Ballmer, is a large, sweaty man who dances like a monkey. You are launching a frenzied raid into the multibillion-dollar office communications business. And you kick off this new initiative with, what, a stale gust of cheesy guitar rock by a no-name performer (and, reportedly, a "surprise" appearance by 62-year-old Eric "Layla" Clapton, which, rumors indicate, is slated for this evening)?

No, Bill, no. You need men adorned with giant swords and foam rubber armor. You need Gwar.

[...]

Microsoft is gunning for a flock of competitors, including AOL, Google, which offers business-class instant messaging, and Cisco Systems, which has its own so-called unified communications products. The big idea is to combine today's phone systems with sophisticated software and the Internet to link instant messaging, video conferencing, e-mail and telephone communications into a seamless whole.

Who could ever bring back standards and save the industry from such destructive paths? It's certainly not the ISO, whose workings can be subverted using money. Aware ness of this fiasco needs to be raised.

Related articles:

• External links (citations)
  • IBM chides Microsoft over SOA
  
  
  
  • Microsoft absent from open standards movement around SOA
  
  
  
  • Microsoft needs REST
  
  
  
  • Halloween Memo I Confirmed and Microsoft's History on Standards
  
  
  
  • A File Format Timeline
  
  
  
  • Microsoft used undocumented Windows APIs - Iowa testimony
  
  
  
  • CIS Accuses Microsoft of Plotting HTML Hijack
  
  
  
• Internal links (cross references)
  • Buying Support and Buying ISO Standards in Order to Hijack the Industry
  • Microsoft Already Plans to ‘Extend’ Its ‘Standard’; ECMA and ISO Named and Shamed
  • Even Microsoft Might Not Obey That Broken OOXML
  • How Things Work at ECMA ‘Production Line’