Linux Foundation Releases Statement Calling for National Bodies to Vote "No" on OOXML

Posted by Andy_Updegrove on Aug 30, 2007 3:27 AM EDT
ConsortiumInfo.org Standards Blog; By Andy Updegrove 		Mail this story
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I'm pleased to note that the Linux Foundation has issued a statement calling for ISO/IEC JTC1 members to vote "No with Comments" on OOXML. The decision to issue the statement follows on the heels of a rising crescendo of reports of last minute additions of individuals to National Bodies which is slanting voting results, and of a similar last minute upgrading of nine (or perhaps by now, more) nations to "P" status in ISO.

Why should or organization that was formed to promote and protect Linux be, to my knowledge, the first standards organization to call for a "no" vote on a document format standard? There are quite a few reasons, to my mind. And they are all extremely important. First, document formats are relevant to Linux on the Desktop. You can find a page of quotes from the Linux Desktop Architects here, expressing their concerns. Second, Microsoft painted a target on Linux, OpenOffice (and, presumably, other office software suites that implement ODF), email and "other open source software" as a single grouping, when it began speaking of infringement of its 235 un-named patents. To me, this indicates that Microsoft sees Linux on the Desktop as the next big battle after server software, and is aligning Windows and OOXML in opposition to Linux and ODF as part of a single strategy.

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