Comments on: France change OOXML vote on eve of deadline

By: Dave Neary

Dave Neary — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:16:03 +0000

cat_loic: I wish. Some supporting documentation:

Le Monde Informatique: http://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-openxml-devient-un-standard-iso-25739.html

Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-01OpenXMLVotePR.mspx

By: cat_loic

cat_loic — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:06:54 +0000

Is it an april fool’s joke or… ? ^^

By: Dave Neary

Dave Neary — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:17:27 +0000

Looking at the votes, two changes would be enough to deny the ISO standard label to OOXML at this stage – one country voting in favour, and another country abstaining or voting in favour, would have to change their votes to “Disapprove”. In practice, that means that the last-minute vote changes of my home country and my adoptive home (Ireland and France) have put Microsoft over the top.

By: Matthew Holloway

Matthew Holloway — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:42:16 +0000

Er, just to clarify. I was involved in the Standards NZ process which was very robust and fair. My criticism of the international process is not a criticism of those countries who did this correctly, but of those that didn’t and a Fast Track for a standard so big and so flawed. It’s not the NBs fault that they couldn’t name everything wrong with this in the given time.

By: Matthew Holloway

Matthew Holloway — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:55:14 +0000

Yes, it looks like it’s going to get through…

JTC1 Directives 3.1.1 say ” ‘Abstention’ is an appropriate response (with or without comment) if an NB is not confident that their technical review is sufficient to cast an ‘approve’ or ‘disapprove’ vote.”

The French did one of the most thorough technical reviews of any National Body. Like most, I’m taking abstain to mean “we’re honest enough to -almost- say it’s awful, but this is a concession to Microsoft”.

When this gets through the ISOs name will be mud. It’s sad that they don’t have the technical expertise and the confidence to stand up for good quality standards.